UL-k 


Sbocictg 


OF 


INQUIRY      ON     MISSIONS 


I 

AND 


THE    STATE   OF   RELIGION 


LIBRARY 

OF  Tin: 

Theological   Seminary, 

PRINCETON,    N.J.       ' 

Cas      BV   2100    .S5 

S"f      S?85!^'    Freder^,    1775 

no,     Present  state  of 


Popular  Works  recently  Printed  for  the  Trade, 

BT 

J.  &    J>     HARPER,   NEW-YORK. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  HAJJI  BABA,  of  Ispahan, 
in  England.     Two  vols.  12mo. 

THE  LIFE  OF  MANS1E  WAUCH,  Tailor  in  Dalkeith. 
12mo. 

CONTRAST.  By  Regina  Maria  Roche,  Authoress  of  the 
"  Children  of  the  Abbey,"  &c.  &c.  &c.     1  vols.  12mo. 

THE  SPY  UNMASKED  ;  or,  MEMOIRS  OF  ENOCH 
CROSBY,  alias  Harvey  Birch,  &c.  &c.  comprising  many 
interesting    facts  and  anecdotes  never  before  published. 

DE  LISLE;  ok,  THE  SENSITIVE  MAN.  A  Novel. 
In  two  vols.  12mo. 

THE  ROUE.     A  Novel.     In  two  volumes,  12mo. 

TALES  OF  THE  WEST.  By  the  Author  of  Letters  from 
the  East.     In  two  vols.  12mo. 

POSTHUMOUS  PAPERS,  Facetious  and  Fanciful,  of  a 
Person  lately  about  London.      12mo. 

COMING  OUT ;  and,  THE  FIELD  OF  THE  FORTY 
FOOTSTES.  A  Novel.  By  Miss  J.  and  A.  M.  Por 
ter.     In  three  vols.  12mo. 

ALMACK'S  REVISITED;  oe,  HERBERT  MILTON. 
A  Novel.     In  twe  vols.  12mo. 

"  The  proudest  of  them  all  shall  hear  of  it." 

St.  VALENTINE'S  DAY ;  or,  THE  FAIR  MAID  OF 
PERTH.  Being  Second  Series  of  "  Chronicles  of  Ca- 
nongate."     By  the  Author  of  "  VVaverley."    2  vols.  12mo, 

RELIGIOUS  DISCOURSES.     By  Walter  Scott.   18mo. 

THE  CONFESSIONS  OF  AN  OLD  MAID.  A  Novel. 
In  two  vols.  12mo. 


Popular  Works  recently  Printed. 


THE  CONDITION  OF  GREECE  IN  1827  and  1828.— 
By  Jonathan  P.  Miller,  of  Vermont.     12mo. 

GIBSON'S  SURVEYING.  Improved  and  enlarged.  By 
James  Ryan,  Teacher    of    Mathematics,   &c.   8vo. 

ELIZABETH  DE  BRUCE.     A  Novel.     In  2  vols.  12mo. 

REMINISCENCES  of  THOMAS  DIBDIN,  of  the  Thea- 
tres Royal,  London.  8vo. 

HELP  TO  FAITH,  &c.  By  the  Rev.  P.  P.  Sandford. 
12ino. 

VAN  HALEN'S  NARRATIVE  of  his  Imprisonment  in 
the  Dungeons  of  the  Inquisition,  his  Escape,  his  Journey 
to  Madrid,  &c.  &c.  8vo. 

SCOTT'S  LIFE  OF  NAPOLEON.  A  New  Edition.  In 
three  octavo  volumes,  with  a  Portrait. 

■  >VID  DELPHINI.  8vo. 

THE  WORKS  OF  THE  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY,  A.M 

Complete  in  ten  handsome  octavo  volumes. 

-MART'S  HORACE.     In  2  vols.  18mo. 

BLAIR'S  SERMONS.   8vo. 

DAVIES'  SERMONS.     In  three  vols.  8vo. 

GOOD'S  BOOK  OF  NATURE.     8vo. 

LIFE  AND  REMAINS  OF  DR.  EDWARD  DANIEL 
CLARKE,  8vo. 

H ANN A MS  PULPIT  ASSISTANT.  Containing  three 
hundred  Outlines,  or  Sketches  of  Sermons.  A  New  and 
Improved  Edition.     In  three  vols.  18mo. 

PARKER'S   IMPROVED  ARITHMETIC.   12mo. 


_J 


J.  &  J.  HARPER,  PRINTERS, 

82  Cliff-street,  New-York. 


IN  PRESS,   FOR    THE    TRADE, 

PELHAM;    OR    THE    ADVENTURES    OF    A    GEN- 
TLEMAN.    A  Novel.     In  2  vols.  12mo. 

"If  the  most  brilliant  wit,  a  narrative  whose  interest  never  flags,  and  some 
pictures  of  the  most  rivetting  interest,  can  make  a  work  popular,  "  Pelham" 
will  be  as  first  rate  in  celebrity  as  it  is  in  excellence.  The  scenes  are  laid  at 
the  present  day,  and  in  fashionable  life." — London  Literary  Gazette. 

THE  SUBALTERN'S  LOG-BOOK  ;  containing  anecdotes 
of  well-known  Military  Characters.      In  two  vols.  12mo. 


In  Press,  for  the  Trade. 


OMESTIC  DUTIES;  or,  Instructions  to  young  Married 
Ladies,  on  the  Management  of  their  Households  and  the 
Regulation  of  their  Conduct  in  the  various  relations  and 
duties  of  Married  Life.     By  Mrs.  William  Parkes. 

PRESENT  STATE  Ot  CHRISTIANITY, and  of  the  Mis- 
I      iblishment  for  its  propagation  in  all  par 
the  World,     Edited  by  Frederic  Shoberl.     12i-n 

II- ink  Y  OF  THE  CAMPAIGNS  OF  THE  BRITISH 
ARMIES  in  Spain,  Portugal; and  the  South  of  France, 
from  1308  to  1814.     By  the  Author  of  "Cyril  Thornton/' 

HBBON'S  ROME,  frith  Maps,  Portrait,  and  Vignette  Ti- 
tles.    4  vols.  8vo. 

IROCKFORD'S  LIFE  IN  THE  JjTEST ;  or,  THE  CUR- 
TAIN DRAWN.  A  Novel.  By  a  Flat  Enlightened.  In 
two  vols.   1  21110. 

"  This  Work  comes  before  the  public  recommended  by  the  whole  body  of 
(he  pr6M,  as  containing  disclosure!  of  the  la.-t  importance  to  individuals  and 
to  families.  It  is  a  moral  duly,  as  well  as  a  pleasure,  to  extend  the  knowledge 
u<  a  work  like  this,  lor  it  is  indeed  a  book  of  golden  instruction,  though  in  the 
disguise  of  a  novel." — Monthly  Magazine, 

rHE  WORKS  OF  WM.  ROBERTSON,  D.D.  comprising 
the  History  of  AMERICA  ;  the  Reign  of  CHARLES  V. 

' TL AM)  ;   and  the  Disquisition  concerning  INDIA 

a\-    DICTIONARY  OF   THE    BIBLE.  8  vo 
UJB'S  ENGLISH  SYNONYMES.  8vo. 


PRESENT   STATE 


CHRISTIANITY, 

AND    OF    THE 

MISSIONARY    ESTABLISHMENTS 

FOR    ITS 

PROPAGATION 
IN   ALL   PARTS   OF    THE   WORJ.K 


EDITED 

BY   FREDERIC    SH 


v* 


Che  diffusion  of  Christianity  is  at  the  same  time  the  diffusion  of  knotf 
dge,  civilization,  and  moral  freedom. — Introduction. 


iltiu-rnvk: 


WtlNTED    BY   J.    &    J.    HARPER, 

>R  COLLINS  AND  IIANNAY,  COLLINS  AND  CO.,  G.  AND   C.  CARVILI 
W.     B.     GILLEY,     O.     A.    ROORBACH,    E.  BLISS,     A.   T.   GOODRICH^ 
J.    LEAV1TT,    J.  P.  HAVEN,    AND    W.  BURGESS,    JR. — PHILADE1 
PHIA,  CAREY,  LEA.  AND  CAREY,  AND  JOHN  GRinr;. 


1 828. 


TO    THE 

PATRONS,  directors,  and  members 

OF   ALL    THE 

BENEFICENT   SOCIETIES 

ENGAGED  IN  THE  HOLY  WORK  OF  DIFFUSING 

CHRISTIANITY 

AND  THE  ATTENDANT  BLESSINGS 

OF 

<   IVILIZATION  AND  KNOWLEDGE 

AMONG    THE 

NATIONS   OF  THE   EARTH. 

THIS    VOLUME 
IS  MOST  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED  BY 

F.   SHOBERL 


IHCB 


PREFACE. 


In  a  country  distinguished  above  all  others  by 
the  strenuous  efforts  of  numerous  Societies,  and 
by  the  liberal  pecuniary  contributions  of  indivi- 
duals, for  the  propagation  of  Christianity  in  all 
parts  of  the  world,  any  recommendation  of  a  book 
chiefly  designed  to  exhibit  the  effects  of  those 
efforts  would  be  almost  superfluous.  Some  reflec- 
tions on  the  importance  of  this  object  will,  how~ 
ever,  be  found  in  the  Introduction,  to  which  the 
reader  is  referred.  It  will,  therefore,  be  unneces- 
sary for  me  to  solicit  more  than  a  moment's  atten- 
tion here,  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  the  nature 
of  my  participation  in  this  volume. 

Justice  requires  the  acknowledgment  that  the 
groundwork  was  furnished  by  a  publication  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  H.  Zschokke,  a  well-known  Ger- 
man writer,  many  years  resident  in  Switzerland, 
whose  numerous  literary  productions  attest  his 
ardent  desire  to  promote  the  best  interests  of  man- 
kind. Its  first  appearance  was  in  the  year  1819. 
To  complete  his  Sketch  by  supplying  the  events 
worthy  of  record  during  the  intermediate  period 
down  to  the  present  year,  I  have  had  recourse  tc 


PREPACK. 

the  Reports  of  our  principal  Societies  engaged  in 
the  propagation  of  Christianity  and  in  the  circula- 
tion of  the  Bible,  and  toother  authentic  materials 
The  additions  which  they  have  enabled  me  to  make 
I  purposed  at  first  to  introduce  in  the  form  of 
notes,  to  avoid  interfering  with  the  work  of  ano- 
ther ;  but,  to  spare  the  reader  the  inconvenience  of 
referring  to  and  fro  and  the  consequent  unpleasant 
interruption  of  the  thread  of  the  text,  I  have  been 
induced  to  forego  that  intention  and  to  interweave 
all  such  additions  in  their  proper  places. 

If  we  have  between  us  presented  as  accurate 
and  ample  a  picture  of  the  subject  as  the  narrow 
limits  of  this  volume  would  permit,  to  the  Public. 
it  must  be  matter  of  the  utmost  indifference  by 
whom  such  or  such  passages  have  been  contributed. 
The  enlightened  author  will  not  I  trust  have  reason 
to  be  ashamed  of  the  partnership  into  which  he  has 
been  involuntarily  brought;  and  if  the  work  shall 
prove  the  means  of  refreshing  in  one  mind  con- 
victions of  the  divinity  and  eternal  truth  of  Chris- 
tianity— of  removing  one  of  the  strong  mutual 
prejudices  still  cherished  by  many  of  the  sects 
professing  the  religion  of  Jesus — or  of  kindling  in 
one  bosom  an  active  zeal  for  the  promotion  oi 
human  happiness  by  the  diffusion  of  the  beneficent 
doctrines  inculcated  by  its  founder — cordially  shall 
I  congratulate  myself  on  my  humble  co-operation 
with  the  philanthropic  foreigner. 


CONTENTS. 


Pag* 
Introduction 13 

PART  I.— EUROPE. 

Chapter  I. — Diffusion  of  Christianity  in   the  First  Eight 

Centuries 22 

Chapter  II. — Diffusion  of  the   Faith  to  the  Present  Time     27 

Chapter  III. — Description  of  Lapland  and  Finland — Relics 
of  Ancient  Paganism — Attempts  to  Convert  the  Roving 
Tribes  within  the  Polar  Circle  to  Christianity 30 

Chapter  IV. — Conclusion 3S 

PART  II.— ASIA. 

Shatter  I. — Review  of  the  First  Diffusion  and  Subsequent 

Suppression  of  Christianity  in  Asia 37 

Chapter  II. — State  of  the  Christian  Sects  in  Turkey  in 
Asia — Catholics,  Greeks,  Maronites,  &c. —  Their  bar- 
barism        40 

Chapter  III. — The  Paganism  of  Siberia  and  the  Russian 
States — Defective  Institutions  for  Conversion — Con- 
ventual Schools — Missions 48 

Chapter  IV. — Attempts  of  the  Jesuits  and  Capuchins  in 
Tibet — Resemblance  of  the  Ecclesiastical  System  of 
Lamaism  to  that  of  the  Catholic  and  Greek  Churches     58 

Chapter  V. — Religions   in   Japan— Severity    towards  the 

Christians 63 

Chapter  VI. — State  o(  the  Christian  Congregations  in  the 

Chinese  Empire — Dissensions  among  the  Missionaries     6G 

Chapter  VII. — Survey   of    Tunkin,   Cochin    China,    and 

the  Birman  Empire — The  Palee  Language 74 

Chapter  VIII. —  Survey  of  Hindoostan — Former  narrow- 
minded  Policy  of  the  East  India  Company  in  regard  to 
Missions — Schwartz,  the  Missionary — State  of  the 
Protestant  and  Catholic  Missions — The  Syrian  Chris- 
tians       86 

Chapter  IX. — The  Persian  Christians — ^Zabeans — Suffas  IOC 

Chapter  X. — Ceylon   and  Java— State  of  Christianity  in 

the  other  large  Asiatic  Islands.., ....   109 

Chapter  XI. — General  Observations  on  the  Slow  Progress 

of  Christianity  in  Asia J  2; 


Ill  CONTENTS. 

PART  III.— AFRICA. 

Pagt 
Chapter  I. — Rise  and  Decline  of  Christianity  in  this  quar- 
ter of  the  Globe 123 

Chapter  II.— Present  Christian  Sects  in  Egypt 134 

Chapter  III.— The  Jacobites  in  Abyssinia— Fruitless  At- 
tempts of  the  Catholics  to  establish  Missions 137 

Chapter  IV. — East  Coast  of  Africa — Madagascar— Isle  of 

Bourbon 142 

Chapter  V. — Cape  of  Good   Hope— Protestant  Missions 

for  the  Conversion  of  the  Hottentots,  Caffres,  &c 140 

Chapter  VI.— The  West  Coast  of  Africa— Congo— Loango  154 
Chapter   VII. — Guinea — Sierra    Leone— Christianity    of 

Gambia 15C 

Chapter  VIII.— The  West  African  Islands 16S 

PART  IV.— AMERICA. 

Chapter  I. — Introduction  of  Christianity  in  America — Las 

Casas 170 

Chapter  II. — Lost  Christianity  on  the  East  Coast  of 
Greenland — The  Venerable  Hans  Egede — the  Breth- 
ren's Congregations  in  Greenland 172 

Chapter  III. — The  Missions  in    Labrador — Paganism  in 

the  extreme  North  of  America 17S 

Chapter  IV. — Survey  of  the  Two  Canadas — Astonishing 
Progress  of  Religion  and  Civilization  among  the  Savage 
Tribes  in  and  near  the  United  States  and  the  Spanish 
Territories  in  North  America 184 

Chapter  V. — Spirit  of  Conversion  in  Spanish  North  Ame- 
rica— The  Californians — Their  Religious  Notions l9Li 

Chapter  VI. — The  Spanish  and  Portuguese  Possessions  in 
South  America — Empire  of  the  Jesuits  on  the  Uraguay 
— Slow  Progress  of  Christianity  of  late  years 202 

Chapter  VII. —  Survey  of  Brazil  and  Guiana   212 

Chatter  VI II. — The  West  India  Islands — Negro  Slaves — 
The  Empire  of  the  Blacks  in  Hayti — Activity  of  the 
Protestant  Missionaries  in  the  British  and  Danish 
Islands   210 

'."hatter  IX. —  General   Observations  on  the  Diffusion  of 

Christianity  in  America 220 

PART  V.— SOUTH  INDIA. 

Chapter  I. — New  Holland— First  Christian  Settlement  in 

New  Zealand 287 

Chatter  II. — Conversion  of  the  Society  Islanders  to 
Christianity — Survey  of  the  Friendly  and  Sandwich 
Islands 23S 

Chapter  HI.— Conclusion 253 


SURVEY 

OF 

CHRISTIANITY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  superiority  of  the  Europeans  in  arts,  sciences,  and 
civil  institutions,  is  not  by  any  means  to  be  ascribed  to  the 
influence  of  their  soil  and  climate.  This  part  of  the  globe 
was  one  vast  Scythia,  long  after  India,  China,  Persia,  Syria, 
Asia  Minor,  Egypt,  and  Greece,  were  distinguished  for 
knowledge,  industry,  and  civilization.  But,  after  the  pro- 
digious wars  and  the  successive  invasions  of  migratory 
barbarians,  it  rose  far  above  the  Asiatic  and  African  states, 
because  it  had  embraced  Christianity.  In  the  East  the 
human  mind  appears,  amid  the  wreck  of  what  has  been, 
in  a  state  of  deplorable  torpor,  bowed  down  by  servitude 
and  despotism. 

Had  the  doctrine  of  the  Messiah  pursued  its  course  towards 
the  east  or  south,  instead  of  spreading  to  the  west  and 
north,  who  knows  whether  at  this  day  those  regions  might 
not  be  occupied  by  the  most  polished  nations  of  the  globe, 
while  we  should  be  half-savages  in  comparison  with  them  ? 
To  what  cause  was  it  owing  that  Creece,  Asia,  Egypt,  and 
Carthage,  after  being  crushed  by  barbarian  invaders,  did  not 
rise  again  so  speedily  and  so  buoyantly  as  Italy,  Gaul,  and 
the  south  of  Germany  ? — There,  Mongols  and  Muhame- 
dans  terminated  the  universal  revolution  ;  but  the  conquer- 
ors of  Italy,  Gaul,  and  Germany,  the  Goths,  Lombard- 
and  Franks,  were  already  Christians. 


14  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

As  far  as  we  know,  there  never  yet  existed  a  nation 
without  some  reverence  for  the  supernatural.  Even  the 
polytheists  and  idolaters,  who,  with  rude  simplicity,  adore 
the  power  of  a  Supreme  Being  under  images  made  with 
their  own  hands,  or  in  the  splendour  of  certain  natural 
phenomena— even  these  reverence,  fear,  and  love,  what 
we  do. 

With  the  origin  of  nations  and  states  arose  many  differ- 
ent notions  of  heavenly  things.  But  that  which  Christ 
imparted  to  mankind  is  the  most  perfect  and  the  most  sa- 
cred, because  it  harmonizes  as  completely  with  the  econo- 
my of  Nature  as  with  the  eternal  laws  of  the  spiritual 
world  ;  it  is,  therefore,  adapted  to  all  countries  and  to  all 
ages  ;  it  cannot  be  improved  by  any  human  wisdom  or  in- 
genuity, legislation  or  form  of  government ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  refines,  ennobles,  and  communicates  its  di- 
vine spirit  to  the  ideas  of  philosophers,  lawgivers,  moralists, 
and  politicians.  It  is  the  root  and  stock  of  all  religions — 
the  highest  and  the  holiest,  upon  which  all  of  them  are 
founded.  Hence  it  fills  the  mind  with  pure  images  of  the 
all-perfect  Being  and  with  longing  after  hirn.  Hence  it 
stimulates  to  the  cultivation  of  the  sciences  ;  and  these 
again,  by  a  grateful  reaction,  divest  the  doctrine  of  its  di- 
vine author  of  human  deformities,  and  of  the  inventions 
of  ignorance,  fanaticism,  and  priestly  love  of  rule. 

The  diffusion  of  Christianity — not  merely  of  its  church- 
ceremonies— is  at  the  same  time  Jiifusion  of  knowledge, 
civilization,  and  moral  freedom.  We  cannot,  therefore, 
be  friends  to  our  kind,  friends  to  reason,  without  ardently 
wishing  tor  the  extension  of  the  all-glorifying  kingdom 
of  God,  and  beholding  with  transport  the  ennobling  of  our 
race  in  every  region  under  heaven. 

The  late  excellent  Dr.  Milne,  in  his  "  Retrospect  of 
the  First  Ten  Years  of  ihe  Protestant  Mission  to  China," 
in  which  he  spent  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  has  so  ably  ex- 
hibited, in  a  short  compass,  the  admirable  adaptation  of 
the  Christian  religion  to  the  character  and  circumstances 
of  the  whole  human  race,  that  I  cannot  forbear  transcribing 
his  words :  — 

"  Christianity,  as  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  is  the 
only  religion  which  is  in  all  respects  adapted  to  the  mora) 


INTRODUCTION.  1 5 

state  of  the  whole  world  ;  hence  it  possesses  an  indisputable 
and  unrivalled  claim  to  universal  preference.  The  positive 
declarations  of  its  divine  author  prove  it  to  be  intended  for 
the  whole  family  of  man  ;  and  its  doctrines,  precepts,  and 
ritual,  all  unite  to  declare  its  suitableness  to  the  internal  cha- 
racter and  external  circumstances  of  sinful  creatures  in 
every  state  of  society  and  in  every  part  of  the  earth. 

"  Its  doctrines,  though  in  some  particulars  above  the 
comprehension  of  man  in  the  present  infancy  of  his  being, 
areyetremark;iblv  adapted  to  exercise  his  intellectual  facul- 
ties and  all  in  perfect  conformity  with  the  dictates  of  sound 
reason.  Their  unequalled  sublimity  imparts  an  elevated 
character  to  the  mind,  which  the  utmost  refinements  of 
human  wisdom  could  never  produce.  Their  certainty 
brings  the  world  out  of  that  maze  of  end  less  perplexities, 
in  which  the  best  and  most  enlightened  pagan  ^ages  wan- 
dered, and  led  after  thern  the  blinded  multitude.  The 
powerful  support  which  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  afford 
to  the  hopes  of  the  guilty  pacifies  the  conscience,  purifies 
the  heart,  and  gladdens  the  countenance.  Their  greatness 
enlarges  the  soul  and  raises  it  to  God  ;  while  their  fulness 
and  variety  furnish  endless  topics  of  thought  and  exhaust- 
less  sources  of  pleasure.  Most  of  them  are  easily  under- 
stood, and  they  aroAill  of  consolation  to  the  truly  penitent 
and  to  the  upright  in  heart. 

"  Its  precepts  are  all  simple,  holy,  reasonable,  and 
useful  to  man  in  every  capacity  and  in  every  relation  of 
life  ;  and  man's  dependence  on  the  Supreme  Being,  his 
circumstanees  in  the  world,  the  desires  of  his  immortal 
nature,  and  the  testimony  of  his  conscience,  all  prove  it 
to  be  both  his  duty  and  his  interest  to  obey. 

"  Its  ritual  is  neither  complicated,  expensive,  nor  irk- 
some. Christianity  can  be  carried  to  all  parts  of  the 
world,  and  observed  just  as  well  where  neither  gold,  silver, 
gems,  nor  materials  for  costly  array  exist,  as  where  they 
are  found  in  the  richest  abundance.  It  enjoins  no  uni- 
formity of  dress,  no  vexatious  peculiarities  in  the  gait, 
gestures,  and  postures,  of  its  worshippers ;  no  magnifi- 
cent temples  or  expensive  apparatus  for  the  celebration  of 
divine  ordinances  ;  no  technical  shibboleth  to  charac- 
terize the  doctrines  of  the  followers  of  Jesus,     Simpli 


1G  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

utyand  utility  are  the  characteristics  of  its  observances. 
Piety,  truth,  justice,  purity,  peaceableness,  benevolence, 
and  usefulness  of  life,  are  the  only  marks  by  which  it  re- 
quires the  servants  of  God  to  distinguish  themselves  from 
the  world  '  which  lieth  in  wickedness.' 

"  Christianity  claims  the  world  ns  the  sphere  of  its 
operations  ;  it  knows  no  olher  locality.  It  commands  the 
nations  to  give  up  nothi>.g  but  what  is  injurious  for  them 
to  retain,  and  proposes  nothing  for  their  acceptance  but 
what  they  are  miserable  without.  It  casts  not  slight  on 
any  one  country  by  exalting  the  virtues  and  glory  of 
another.  It  represents  all  people  and  nations  as  on  a 
level  in  the  eyes  of  God — as  equally  offenders  against 
him,  equally  subject  to  the  decisions  of  his  awful  justice, 
and  equally  welcome  to  the  benefits  of  his  abundant 
mercy,  its  moral  and  positive  duties  are  equally  binding 
on  all  to  whom  the  Gospel  is  made  known  ;  its  salvation 
and  privileges  are  open  on  the  same  terms  to  all  who  re- 
ceive them,  without  distinction  of  age,  rank,  talent,  or 
country  ;  and  its  tremendous  denunciations  will  be  exe- 
cuted on  all  who  reject  or  abuse  it,  without  partiality  and 
"without  the  possibility  of  appeal  or  escape 

"  It  commands  nothing  inconsistent  with  the  outward 
condition  of  nations  or  individuals  to  perform  ,  while  it 
contains  the  germ  of  every  principle  necessary  to  render  the 
throne  stable,  the  nation  prosperous,  the  family  happy,  the 
individual  virtuous,  and  the  soul  eternally  blessed.  Chris- 
tianity is  the  only  religion  fitted  for  universal  adoption, 
and  the  only  one  capable  of  conducting  the  world  to  im- 
mortal felicity.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  who  expect  to  be 
saved  by  Christ  to  do  their  utmost  for  the  extension  of 
Christian  knowledge." 

To  the  testimony  of  this  eloquent  servant  of  God  I 
shall  subjoin  a  brief  exposition  of  the  beneficial  effects 
resulting  from  the  efforts  for  the  diffusion  of  Christianity, 
by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip,  the  active  superintendent  of  the 
establishments  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  in 
South  Africa. 

"  In  those  countries  where  our  missions  have  gained  a 
marked  ascendancy,  there  is  scarcely  one  spot,  however 
much  secluded,  impervious  to  their  all-pervading  light  and 


INTRODUCTION.  17 

jjeat.  Even  while  they  are  grossly  misrepresented  and 
spoken  against,  they  are  checking  the  undue  exercise  of 
power ;  raising  the  standard  of  morals ;  literally  pro- 
claiming liberty  to  the  captives,  and  opening  the  prison- 
doors  to  those  that  are  bound  ;  diffusing  abroad  the  light 
of  science  and  literature  ;  undermining  the  false  systems 
of  religion  against  which  they  have  to  contend  ;  multi- 
plying those  charitable  institutions  which  have  for  their 
object  the  relief  of  suffering  humanity  ;  vanquishing  infi- 
delity by  the  most  direct  and  powerful  of  all  arguments, 
by  living  exhibitions  of  the  truths  of  Christianity  ;  chang- 
ing the  face  of  our  colonies,  and  accelerating  the  ap- 
proach of  that  moral  revolution  which  will  sooner  or  later 
usher  in  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  as  the  kingdom  of 
our  Lord  and  his  Christ." 

After  quoting  these  testimonies,  it  may  perhaps  be 
deemed  presumptuous  in  me  to  subjoin  any  further  remark 
in  illustration  of  the  excellence  of  that  religion  which 
forms  the  subject  of  this  volume.  At  the  hazard,  how- 
ever, of  incurring  this  censure,  I  shall  add  an  observation, 
which  seems  to  me  to  deserve  the  serious  attention  alike 
of  the  statesman,  the  philosopher,  and  the  philanthropist, 

One  of  the  first  and  most  important  effects  of  Chris- 
tianity is  to  elevate  and  ennoble  the  female  character,  and 
to  place  woman  in  that  station  which  she  ought  to  hold 
in  society.  She — who  was  destined  to  be  the  partner  of 
man,  the  depository  of  his  thoughts,  his  solace  in  afflic- 
tion, his  counsellor  in  adversity  and  prosperity  ;  to  sooth 
him  by  the  exercise  of  the  kindliest  affections  at  home  for 
the  crosses  and  vexations  which  he  has  to  encounter 
abroad — she  is  reduced  by  the  Savage  to  the  level  of  the 
slave,  or  even  of  the  brutes  which  he  has  domesticated  for 
his  service.  Throughout  the  whole  eastern  world,  by  the 
more  polished  professors  of  the  doctrines  of  Muhamed, 
of  Buddha,  and  of  Fohi,  constituting  a  very  great  ma- 
jority of  the  human  race,  woman  is  regarded  as  of  inferior 
nature  to  the  other  sex,  by  which  she  is  held  in  profound 
subjection,  and  treated  as  a  being  formed  solely  to  minis- 
ter to  the  passions,  pleasures,  and  caprices,  of  her  lord. 
The  religion  of  Christ  calls  her  from  this  degraded  state 
to  the  equal  participation  in  the  privileges  and  enjoyment4 


18  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

of  man  ;  it  raises  and  refines  his  own  character  in  the 
same  proportion  as  it  inspires  him  with  consideration  for 
hers — for  where  the  character  of  woman  is  most  respecta- 
ble and  respected,  there  we  invariably  find  most  public 
virtue  and  private  happiness. 

The  total  number  of  human  beings  at  present  inhabit- 
ing the  globe  is  by  some  computed  at  between  a  thousand 
and  twelve  hundred  millions  ;  but,  in  a  table,  furnished 
by  a  German  publication,  the  Allgemeine  Kirchenzeititng, 
printed  at  Darmstadt,  which  appears  to  have  been  dili- 
gently compiled  from  the  most  authentic  sources,  and  ex- 
hibits the  population  of  the  earth  according  to  its  differ- 
ent religions,  the  total  number  of  inhabitants  is  estimated 
at  eight  hundred  and  twenty-eight  millions.  Of  these 
two  hundred  and  thirty-five  millions  are  computed  to  be 
professors  of  Christianity  ;  two  and  a  half  millions  Jews  ; 
one  hundred  and  fifteen  millions  Muhamedans  ;  ten  mil* 
lions  disciples  of  Zoroaster  and  Confucius  ;  while  the 
Polytheists,  composed  of  Lamaites,  Brahminists,  Bud- 
hists,  and  Fetish  worshippers,  amount  to  four  hundred  and 
:-*ixty-six  millions.  What  an  immense  field,  then,  is  still 
open  for  the  most  exalted  species  of  beneficence  ! 

Europe  has  already  rendered  immense  benefit  to  the 
other  portions  of  the  globe,  by  the  diffusion  of  the  divine 
revelations  concerning  the  dearest  interests  of  mankind. 
For  ages  past,  thousands  of  pious  men  have  gone  forth 
into  both  the  Indies  to  carry  thither  the  light  of  Chris- 
tianity.  In  many  cities  of  Europe,  considerable  efforts 
have  been  made  for  spreading  civilization  and  the  arts  and 
sciences  in  the  remotest  regions.  In  the  Orphan-House,  at 
Halle,  were  trained  teachers  for  the  two  Indies.  Paris 
and  Naples  instructed  Arabs  and  Chinese.  Russia  made 
frkutzk  an  academy  for  Tartars  and  Japanese.  Rome 
accomplished  more  than  all  the  rest.  Here  the  Congre- 
gation for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  has,  ever  since 
the  seventeenth  century,  despatched  into  all  the  world 
messengers  of  God,  educated  for  this  especial  purpose, 
"Works  were  printed  in  this  congregation  in  more  than 
thirty  languages,  foreign  to  Europe.  The  Seminary  far 
the  Diffusion  of  the  Faith  co-operated  in  its  efforts, 
which  were  emulated  by  the  Congregation  of  the  Priests 


INTRODUCTION.  10 

of  the  Foreign  Missions,  the  French  Seminary  for  Mis- 
sions to  Foreign  Nations,  and  the  French  Congregation 
of  St.  Sacrament. 

In  all  the  Protestant  world  there  were  a  few  years  since 
but  four  or  five  Societies  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen, 
of  which  the  church  of  England  furnished  two,  and  another 
was  the  exemplary  Society  of  the  United  Brethren.  Now 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  is  added  to  those  of  the 
United  Church — the  Church  of  Scotland  has  her  Societies 
— every  principal  denomination  of  Christians,  not  of  the 
established  churches,  has  formed  its  own  institution- — the 
Protestants  of  the  continent  are  uniting  in  a  Missionary 
Society,  which  is  awakening  an  interest  from  Basle,  the 
seat  of  its  deliberations,  in  all  the  countries  round  ;  and  the 
fire  is  kindled  in  the  American  churches  : — the  Congre* 
gational — the  Presbyterian — the  Baptist — the  Methodist 
Churches  of  the  United  States — are  all  acting  with  zeal  in 
the  cause — and  the  whole  Episcopal  Church,  with  its  nine 
bishops,  has  recently  formed  a  society  for  sending  the  Gos- 
pel to  the  heathen  of  the  American  continent,  and  through- 
out the  world. 

We  witness  also  the  rise  of  institutions  around  us,  which 
take  up  all  the  various  departments  of  labour  for  ultimately 
rendering  the  earth  one  great  garden  of  God.  Missionary 
Societies  break  up  the  ground  and  prepare  the  seed — Bible 
Societies  multiply  that  seed  and  scatter  it,  by  the  hands 
of  the  missionary  and  other  labourers,  all  over  the  world — 
Jews'  Societies  are  training  the  most  irrefragable  witnesses, 
and  probably  the  most  successful  preachers  of  the  divine 
word — Education  Societies  are  giving  a  powerful  im- 
pulse to  that  universal  instruction  which  is  to  prepare 
readers  of  the  word — Tract  Societies  are  calling  the 
attention  of  men  to  that  word — and  the  primitive  and  apos- 
tolic Liturgy  of  the  English  Church  is  teaching  multitudes 
in  what  manner  to  worship  Jehovah. 

The  importance  of  the  operations  of  some  of  these  So- 
cieties may  be  inferred  from  the  following  authentic  state- 
ments : — 

The  Church  Missionary  Society  had,  in  1827,  in  its 
nine  Missions,  in  the  Mediterranean,  West  Africa,  Cal 
cutta  and  North  India,  Madras  and  South  India,  Bombay 


20  SURVEY  O?  CHRISTIANITY  , 

and  Western  India,  Ceylon,  Australasia,  West  Indies,  and 
North  West  America,  54  stations,  with  which  are  connected 
286  schools.  All  these  stations?  employ  458  labourers,  of 
•whom  124  are  Europeans  and  334  born  in  the  respective 
countries  where  they  are  employed.  In  the  schools  there 
are  13,447  scholars,  9,47!*  of  whom  arc  boys,  3.08b'  girls. 
and  882  adults.  Many  churches  have  been  built;  and  at 
some  of  the  principal  stations  printing-presses  have  been 
established,  from  which  the  Scriptures,  Liturgy,  and  reli- 
gious tracts,  are  issued  in  large  numbers. 

This  Society  has  founded  at  Islington,  near  London,  a 
seminary  for  preparing  and  training  missionaries,  in  which 
there  were  at  the  same  period  thirty-one  students.  The 
first  examination  took  place  in  July,  1827  ;  and  it  has 
been  determined  to  enlarge  the  buildings  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  fifty  students. . 

The  gross  receipts  of  the  same  Society  for  the  year  end- 
ing May,  1827,  including  the  contributions  to  the  Institu- 
tion at  Islington,  fell  very  little  short  of  46,000/.  The  net 
income  available  to  the  general  purposes  of  the  Society, 
during  the  same  period,  was  nearly  43.300/.,  and  the  ex- 
penditure 40,470/. 

The  London  Missionary  Society  has  stations  in  many 
of  the  South  Sea  Islands,  at  Malacca  and  in  Java,  in  most 
of  the  principal  cities  in  British  Hindoostan,  in  Siberia,  in 
the  Mediterranean,  in  South  Africa,  both  within  and 
beyond  the  Colony  of  the  Cape,  in  Madagascar  and  Mau- 
ritius, and  at  Deinerara  and  Berbice,  in  the  West  Indies  ; 
in  which  are  employed  nearly  one  hundred  European  mis- 
sionaries and  assistants,  besides  native  teachers.  The  con- 
tributions to  this  Society,  in  the  year  ending  March,  1827, 
amounted  to  nearly  33, /00/.,  an.i  the  disbursements  during 
the  same  period  to  upwards  of  43,  )00/. 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  from  its  estab- 
lishment in  1801,  to  March,  18  -7,  had  issued  upwards  of 
5,200,000  Bibles  and  New  Testaments.  In  this  number 
are  comprehended  forty-two  re-prints,  five  re-translations, 
fifty-seven  languages  and  dialects  in  which  the  Scriptures 
had  not  been  printed  before  the  institution  of  the  Society, 
and  forty-three  new  translations  in  progress.  The  total 
receipts  of  the  Society  during  the  year  preceding  March. 


INTRODUCTION.  21 

1827,  were  little  less  than  100.0' OZ.,  ami  the  9ums  paid 
for  translating  and  printing  amounted  to  nearly  63,000/.. 
When  it  is  recollected  that  these  and  all  the  other  So- 
cieties established  for  the  propagation  of  Christianity  are 
entirely  supported  by  voluntary  contributions,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  their  pious  and  benevolent  efforts  for  the  im- 
provement of  the  human  species  constitute  one  of  the  most 
admirable  traits  in  the  picture  of  the  present  age.  The 
attempt,  therefore,  imperfect  as  it  may  be,  to  delineate 
the  present  state  of  Christianity  in  the  different  regions  of 
the  globe,  can  scarcely  fail  to  prov*.  an  acceptable  offering 
to  many  ;  I  am  certain,  at  least,  that  it  would  be  difficult 
to  find  one  possessing  stronger  claims  to  the  consideratioTs 
of  every  enlightened  observer. 


PART   THE  FIRST. 


EUROPE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

DIFFUSION     OF    CHRISTIANITY     IN    THE    FIKST    EIGHT 
CENTURIES. 

It  is  not  more  difficult  to  point  out  the  finger  of  God  in 
the  wonders  of  history  than  in  the  wonders  of  Nature. 

The  three  years  in  which  Christ,  poor  and  despised, 
preached  his  doctrine  among  a  poor  and  despised  people, 
were  incontestably  the  most  suitable  epoch  for  the  purpose 
in  the  six  thousand  years  to  which  our  historical  records 
extend.  We  are  not  less  astonished  at  the  subsequent 
concatenation  and  power  of  circumstances,  that  wisely  cal- 
culated game  of  accidents,  ifyou  choose  to  term  it  so,  which 
developed  the  seed  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  into  a  tree  of 
life  for  numberless  tribes  and  nations.  Antiquated  thrones 
and  religions  of  the  time,  victors  and  vanquished,  nations 
issuing  from  unknown  wilds,  submitted  at  length  to  become 
but  instruments  in  an  invisible,  irresistible  hand,  for  the 
accomplishment  of  the  great  work  for  which  Christ  was 
destined  to  bleed  on  Golgotha.  But  this  is  not  the  proper 
place  to  pursue  that  mysterious  topic. 

The  few  individuals  who  went  forth  from  the  school  of 
Jesus  carried,  it  is  well  known,  the  light  which  they  re- 
ceived from  him,  with  equally  astonishing  courage  and 
success,  from  Jerusalem  into  the  neighbouring  and  re- 
moter countries.  They  conveyed  it  through  Syria,  Phoeni- 
cia, and  the  rest  of  Asia  Minor,  to  Greece  and  Italy. 


EUROrE.  &b 

Whether  Mark  imparted  it  to  the  Egyptians,  and  Thomas 
or  Andrew  to  the  interior  of  Asia,  we  know  not :  but 
the  traditions  preserved  by  the  oldest  ecclesiastical  histo- 
rians arc  not  improbable.  So  early  as  the  second  cen- 
tury of  our  era,  Justin  Martyr  exulted,  though  indeed 
rather  prematurely,  in  these  terms  : — u  There  is  not  a 
tribe,  either  among  the  Greeks  or  foreigners,  even  among 
those  that  live  without  any  permanent  places  of  abode, 
by  whom  praise  and  thanksgiving  are  not  offered  to  the 
Father  and  Creator  of  the  universe,  in  the  name  of  the 
crucified  Jesus." 

The  sublime  perspicuity  and  simplicity  of  the  new  re- 
ligion, the  persuasive  force  with  which  it  addresses  itself 
to  all  minds,  the  purity  of  life  and  the  contempt  of  death 
manifested  by  its  first  professors,  soon  gained  it  numerous 
friends.  Besides  the  urgency  of  the  times  and  the  unity 
of  the  empire  of  the  world,  of  which  Rome  was  the  heart, 
the  removal  of  the  legions  of  the  Ctesars,  now  transported 
from  Asia  to  Africa,  and  presently  from  Africa  to  Eu- 
rope, certainly  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  diffusion  of 
Christianity.  Many  of  the  soldiers  who  had  no  home  but 
the  conquered  world,  and  who  found,  beyond  the  frontier 
of  every  new  state,  new  deities  and  new  forms  of  worship, 
could  not  fail  to  imbibe  at  length  a  thorough  contempt 
for  these  religious  absurdities.  Unbelief  began  al  Rome 
with  the  return  of  the  armies  from  remote  provinces  of 
the  empire. 

But  the  notion  of  higher  supernatural  beings  was  not 
extinguished  in  the  bosoms  of  men  together  with  the  re- 
verence for  the  ancient  mythology.  The  well-informed 
warrior,  at  home  in  every  part  of  the  world,  needed  a 
God  independent  of  the  narrow  limits  of  countries,  and  a 
faith  independent  of  the  priesthood  of  the  nations.  What 
he  had  an  obscure  feeling  of  was  rendered  clear  to  him 
by  the  simple  doctrine  of  Jesus.  What  he  learned  of 
this  doctrine  in  Asia,  Egypt,  or  Greece,  he  communicated 
to  others  in  Gaul  and  Britain. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  in  this  manner  Christianity 
was  partially  introduced,  or  that  at  least  the  way  was 
paved  for  it  among  the  nations  of  Europe.  We  know 
that  the  orthodox  bishops  of  Britain  afterwards  found  in 


24  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

the  Scottish  Highlands  a  sort  of  Christians  who  knew 
nothing  of  the  Pope  and  of  the  Roman  Catholic  dogmas. 
Neither  is  it  unlikely  that  the  doctrine  of  John  the  Baptist 
was  carried  by  the  legions,  or  even  by  merchants,  from  the 
banks  of  Jordan  into  far  distant  countries.  For,  if  we 
may  give  any  credit  to  the  most  anden-t  records  and  the 
symbolical  customs  of  the  Freemasons,  we  shall  find  that 
these  people  in  their  assemblies  and  lodges  seem  to  have 
long  known  nothing  of  Christ  and  of  the  Cross,  but  that, 
besides  retaining  the  pagan  libation — Funde  merum  Ge~ 
nio ! — they  talked  much  of  Pythagoras  and  still  more 
about  John. 

In  the  third  century  there  existed  a  great  number  of 
Christian  congregations,  as  well  in  western  Asia  and 
North  Africa  as  on  the  European  coasts  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean. The  sacred  Scriptures  of  Christendom  were  cir- 
culated both  in  Latin  and  in  Syrian,  Egyptian,  and  Ethio- 
pia translations  The  indifference  or  partiality  of  indi- 
vidual emperors  or  local  authorities  to  the  votaries  of  the 
new  religion  afforded  time  for  the  establishment  and  diffu- 
sion of  its  principles.  The  impolicy  of  particular  perse- 
cutions raised  against  it  tended  still  more  to  produce  this 
effect.  But  for  these  persecutions  the  first  holy  ardour 
Would  perhaps  speedily  have  cooled.  Now,  however, 
exiles  carried  with  them  the  opinions  for  which  they  suf- 
fered to  countries  where  they  were  yet  unknown.  The 
confidence  and  fortitude  of  individual  martyrs  now  in- 
spired the  other  Christians  with  enthusiastic  courage,  and 
excited  the  astonished  pagans  to  the  investigation  of  a 
faith  for  which  men  and  women  gloried  to  die.  The  pro- 
fessors now  exerted  themselves  the  more  strenuously  to 
increase  their  numbers  among  all  classes  of  the  people  ; 
partly  from  piety,  partly  from  the  very  natural  wish  to  gain 
more  general  acceptance  for  their  own  convictions,  and 
partly  to  be  rendered  more  secure  from  future  dangers  by 
the  strength  of  their  community. 

Hence  it  was  that  Christianity  spread  throughout  Eu- 
rope with  wonderful  power  and  rapidity  ;  that  whole 
places,  whole  legions,  nay,  even  many  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished statesmen  and  generals,  embraced  the  new 
religion  ;  and  that  at  last  the  Emperor  Constantine,  whf 


EUROPE. 

is  called  the  Great,  deemed  it  consistent  with  his  policy 
to  declare  publicly  in  favour  of  the  hitherto  persecuted 
party.  Though  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  the  people 
steadfastly  adhered  to  the  ancient  paganism,  yet  the 
Christians,  by  means  of  their  numbers,  their  influence, 
their  learned  men,  and  their  desperate  resolution,  were  of 
sufficient  consequence  in  all  parts  of  the  empire  to  be 
the  grateful  protectors  of  an  oft-shaken  and  tottering 
throne.  The  energetic  activity  with  which  the  emperor 
followed  up  his  politic  declaration,  combined  with  the 
ardent  zeal  of  the  professors  of  his  new  faith,  proved  de- 
cisive. The  Christian  became  the  predominant  religion 
of  the  Roman  empire  in  the  fourth  century. 

The  Emperor  Julian,  disgusted  in  the  recollection  of 
the  past  glories  of  Rome  with  the  then  state  of  things, 
strove  once  more,  but  in  vain,  to  re-establish  the  exploded 
polytheism  of  antiquity.  He  mistook  Christianity,  which 
is  not  surprising,  since  it  was  mistaken,  though  indeed  in 
a  different  sense,  even  by  many  of  the  Christians  of  his 
day  ;  he  mistook  his  age  :  he  shared,  therefore,  the  fate 
of  those  who  oppose  the  spirit  of  their  time.  Mean 
while  Persia  and  Armenia,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the 
countries  situated  between  the  Black  Sea  and  the  Cas- 
pian, received  apostles  of  the  gospel.  Ulphilas  gave  to 
his  Goths  in  iMcesia  the  narratives  of  the  Evangelists  in 
their  native  language  ;  and  Frumentius,  the  Egyptian, 
carried  the  substance  of  them  beyond  the  great  cataracts 
of  the  Nile,  across  the  sandy  deserts  to  Habesh. 

Christianity  was  established  in  three  parts  of  the  world, 
but  the  Roman  empire  in  them  was  destroyed.  Vandals 
and  Goths,  Allemans,  Franks,  and  Lombards,  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  doctrines  of  Christ.  They  founded 
new  empires,  but  not  a  new  religion.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  terror  spread  in  the  fifth  century  by  the  ferocious 
Huns  strengthened  with  superstitious  fear  and  hope  the 
inclination  of  numberless  minds  to  Christianity  ;  while 
bold  champions  of  the  faith  were  not  weary  of  proclaim 
ing  the  gospel  of  the  crucified  Jesus  in  the  mountains  of 
Lebanon  and  Antilibanus,  in  the  forests  of  Germany  and 
Jreland,  and  even  on  the  coast  of  Malabar. 

The  convulsions  of  the  European  world  from  the  inva 
3 


JG  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

sions  of  the  barbarians  were  not  detrimental  to  the  propa- 
gation of  the  Christian  faith.  Those  who  were  then  living 
had  just  reason  to  fear  that  every  tiling  would  be  subvert- 
ed by  northern  barbarism.  We,  of  a  later  period,  are  ena- 
bled on  the  contrary  to  discover  in  the  result  of  these  pro- 
digious revolutions  the  overruling  power  of  an  all- wise 
Providence.  There  were  moments — for  what  are  ages 
to  eternity  ? — in  which  the  pure  light  became  fainter,  in- 
asmuch as  it  was  more  dispersed.  The  north,  however, 
was  destined  to  impart  new  life  and  youth  to  the  south, 
and  to  derive  from  it  a  higher  degree  of  civilization. 

As  the  doctrine  of  the  Cross  now  began  to  extend  its 
dominion  among  the  barbarous  conquerors  in  the  west, 
it  lost  in  the  seventh  century  a  great  part  of  the  east. — 
Here,  in  Arabia,  arose  Muhamed,  the  founder  of  a  new 
faith,  who  enforced  with  a  conquering  sword  the  truth  of 
his  revelations.  He  and  his  successors  left  to  the  van- 
quished no  choice  between  the  adoption  of  the  Koran  and 
slavery  or  death.  Thus  was  Christianity  exterminated  in 
Arabia,  Syria,  Persia,  Palestine,  Egypt,  and  the  whole 
north  of  Africa,  where  the  religion  of  the  prophet  of 
Mecca  now  held  exclusive  sway.  Spain  itself  was  sub- 
jugated by  the  Arab  arms;  France,  Italy,  Helvetia, 
were  menaced,  till  Charles,  surnamed  M artel,  set  bounds 
in  the  battle  of  Tours  to  their  victorious  career.  The 
valour  or  the  good  fortune  of  Charles  saved  France  and 
Germany  from  the  caliphat  and  the  Koran. 

Compared  with  this  event  it  seemed  to  be  a  matter  of 
much  less  consequence  that  Columbanus  and  Kilian,  na- 
tives of  Scotland,  Gallus,  an  Irishman,  Willibrod,  the 
Anglo-Saxon,  Winfried,  and  others,  preached  the  Gos- 
pel to  some  German  tribes,  and  to  the  people  of  the  Hel- 
vetian mountains,  and  overthrew  the  altars  of  paganism  ; 
and  that  the  Emperor  Charles  the  First,  commonly  styled 
the  Great,  appeared  like  a  Christian  Muhamed  to  the 
Saxons  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  plains  of  Pannonia, 
and  converted  them  with  the  edge  of  the  sword.  But  in 
the  history  of  the  world  nothing  is  to  be  termed  important 
or  unimportant,  if  it  operates  mediately  or  immediately 
upon  the  minds  of  men.  The  loss  of  Jerusalem,  Alex- 
andria,   Antioch,    or  Carthage,  seemed,    indeed,  to  be 


EUROPE.  % ' 

but  ill  compensated  by  the  advantages  which  Christianity 
obtained  in  the  wilds  of  Helvetia,  Hesse,  Thuringia,  and 
Saxony  :  but  in  these  very  regions  subsequently  originated 
the  great  Reformation  of  the  lbth  century,  the  effects 
of  which  extended  to  the  remotest  parts  of  the  globe, 
and  regained  for  Christianity  a  great  part  of  Asia,  Africa, 
and  America. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DIFFUSION    OF    THE  FAITH    TO    TIIE    PRESENT  TIME.     * 

With  the  ninth  century,  the  Cross  advanced  farther 
and  farther  northward.  Ansgar  made  it  known  to  the 
Jutlanders  and  Cimbri,  the  Danes  and  Swedes,  and  Rem- 
bert,  of  Bremen,  to  the  people  of  Brandenburg  ;  while 
it  was  received  in  Bohemias  Moravia,  and  Dalmatia,  and 
introduced,  through  the  zeal  of  Constantinople,  among 
the  heathen  on  the  Lower  Danube,  as  far  as  the  Ukraine, 
The  gospel  of  Christ  was  proclaimed  even  in  the  frozen 
regions  of  Iceland  and  Greenland.  The  savage  Rugi. 
in  Pomerania,  the  still  more  savage  Norwegians  and 
Russians,  as  well  as  the  Sarmatians  and  Hungarians,  re- 
ceived baptism  a  hundred  years  later  ;  as  did  the  Fins, 
the  Livonians,  the  Lettes,  the  Prussians,  and  the  Slavo- 
nians, in  the  twelfth  or  thirteenth  century. 

The  conversion  of  all  these  and  other  nations  origi- 
nated, it  is  true,  in  the  pious  zeal  of  Christian  princes  and 
priests  ;  but  on  the  part  of  the  new  converts,  it  was  more 
rarely  that  better  conviction  operated  so  forcibly  as  the 
policy  of  the  pagan  princes,  the  obedience  of  their 
subjects,  or  the  fear  excited  in  both  by  the  victorious 
arms  of  Christian  neighbours.  It  is  well  known  that 
the  Pope,  after  the  crusades  in  the  East  had  failed  to 
rescue  the  holy  sepulchre  from  the  hands  of  the  Saracens, 
commanded  crusades  against  the  heathen  of  the  North. 
It  is  well  known  with  what  cruelties  and  inhuman  atrocities 


28  SURVEY    OF    CIIIUSTIANITY/. 

;hc  invader?,  especially  those  from  Germany,  forced  the 
kingdom  of  God,  as  they  termed  it,  upon  the  brave  Li- 
vonians,  Lcttes,  Prussians,  &,c.  They  proceeded  nearly 
in  the  same  manner  as  Charles,  styled  the  Great  and 
(he  Holy,  had  done  with  the  Saxons  ;  as  the  Spaniards 
and  Portuguese,  two  or  three  centuries  later,  preached 
Christianity  to  the  Americans  ;  or  as  the  successors  of 
Muhamcd  continued  to  propagate  the  doctrines  of  the 
Koran. 

The  Christianity  proffered  at  the  bloody  point  of  the 
sword  was,  indeed,  not  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  ;  it  was  a 
Christian  paganism.  The  barbarians  exchanged  the  gods 
of  their  country  for  the  images  of  foreigners  ;  they 
learned  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross,  to  kneel,  and  to 
recite  a  prayer.  Hence,  it  was  not  surprising  either  that 
whole  nations  should  be  baptized  in  one  year,  or  to  see 
them  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  become  apostates  from 
Christianity,  because  old  habits  are  not  easily  changed 
for  new  customs.  The  Prussians  fought  manfully  till  the 
fourteenth  century  for  their  ancient  gods. 

The  Christianity  of  those  days,  if  Christianity  it  may 
be  termed,  could  not  of  course  have  any  perceptibly  be- 
neficial influence  on  the  civilization  and  mental  culture  of 
the  converted  nations.  The  first  step  towards  this  was 
nevertheless  taken.  The  notion  of  the  unity  of  God.  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul,  of  the  consequences  of  hu- 
man actions  after  death,  became  more  general.  Rude 
and  confused  as  this  notion  might  still  be,  as  well  among 
the  converters  as  the  converted,  still  it  was  the  first  ray  of 
light  penetrating  their  mental  darkness.  Besides,  the 
circumstance  of  their  having  one  common  religion  occa- 
sioned a  brisker  intercourse  between  the  half-savage  tribes 
and  the  more  polished  nations,  and  made  the  former  bet- 
ter acquainted  with  the  inventions,  arts,  sciences,,  and 
civil  institutions  of  foreigners.  That  which  the  church 
called  sin  was  shunned  less  from  love  of  the  Supreme 
Being  and  of  virtue,  than  from  fear  of  purgatory,  hell,  and 
the  devil.  Still  the  gentle  virtues  of  humanity  and  the 
pure  conceptions  of  right  and  wrong  were  at  this  period 
gradually  developed.  The  civilization  of  northern  fol- 
owed  that  of  southern  Europe  with  more  rapid  pace  than 


EUBOPE.  2^ 

might  Iiavc  been  expected.  So  early  as  the  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  century  the  sciences  flourished  with  renewed 
vigour  in  numberless  conventual  schools  and   academies. 

The  ground  gained  by  Christianity  during  the  fifteenth 
century,  at  the  western  extremity  of  Europe,  by  the  ex- 
pulsion of  the  Muhamedan  Moors  from  Spain,  was  again 
lost  at  its  south-eastern  point,  in  the  subjugation  of  Greece 
by  Turkish  valour.  The  ancient  and  far-famed  churches 
of  Constantinople,  Thessalonica,  Corinth,  and  Philippi. 
were  transformed  into  mosques,  and  the  Koran  ^rove 
back  the  Gospel  to  the  frontiers  of  Hungary. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things  nearly  till  our  own  times. 
The  whole  of  this  part  of  the  world,  excepting  Turkey, 
professed  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  ;  for  the  idols  of  Samogi- 
tia  also  were  mostly  destroyed  in  the  fifteenth  century 
and  in  Turkey,  too,  Christianity  was  by  no  means  wholly 
exterminated.  More  than  half  the  European  subjects  of 
the  Grand  Signor  remained  Christians. 

Out  of  the  one  hundred  and  eighty  million  inhabitants 
of  Europe,  about  one  hundred  and  sixty-nine  belong  to 
some  one  of  the  different  Christian  churches.*  Of  these 
the  Catholic  prevails  in  Portugal,  Spain,  France,  Italy, 
the  south  of  Germany,  Poland,  the  Austrian  dominions, 
and  some  parts  of  Switzerland  ; — the  Protestant,  in 
Great  Britain,  Denmark,  Norway,  Sweden,  Prussia,  the 
north  of  Germany,  the  Netherlands,  and  part  of  the 
Swiss  confederation  ;  and  the  ancient  Greek  church  in  the 
Russian  empire.  Europe  now  contains  no  relics  of  pa- 
ganism, excepting  here  and  the/e  in  the  extreme  north, 
in  the  rarely  frequented  icy  regions  of  the  Fins  and  Lap 
landers. 

*  Humboldt,  who  estimates  the  population  of  Europe  at  198  millions, 
assumes  that  out  of  this  number  103  millions  are  Roman  Catholics,  52 
millions  Protestants,  38  millions  followers  of  the  Greek  ritual,  and 
"»  millions  Muharaedans. 


3* 


i  u\  i  \    or   OHKI11  IANIT1 


CHAPTER   u 

iSSCRXPTXOfl     01     LAPLAND     UNO     ri\t\si>    -RELICS     OJ 
INCIKNT      PAGANISM       ATTEMPTS       if     CONVERT     nu 

fi>\  JNQ  TRIBES  WITHIN  THE   POLAR  CIRCLE    TO  CHRIS 
1  AM  IV. 

Beyond  the  northern   polar  circle,  and  even   on  this 
tide  of  n,  where  the  continent  of  Sweden  and  Norwaj 
indented  by  numberless  bays  into  narrow    promontories 
ind  peninsulas,  runs  out  towards  the  ley  ocean, is  situated 
the  extensive  region  composed  of  Finmark,  Normark 
and  Lapmark.     It  occupies  art  ana  of  about  one  hun« 
dred  and  fifty  thousand  square  miles,  and  is  consequent!] 
Bqual  in  extent  to  Fran<  e  or  German)      A  thin  popula* 
tion  is  scattered  over  these  provinces,  where  nature  rare 
ly  assumes  a  Bmiling  aspect.     Upon  an  average  then 
■nay  be  reckoned  (our  square  miles  to  each  individual. 

How  could  it  be  otherwise  .'  It  is  a  barren  sod,  v  ithout 
owns  or  traffic.  I'lio  length  and  severity  of  the  winter 
'arely  permit  any  species  of  grain  to  thrive  ;  nor  will  fruit 
rees  grow  there.  In  the  depth  of  winter,  the  inhabitants 
of  the  northernmost  districts  have  no  sun  Cor  seven  buc 
ressive  weeks,  and  tins  long  dreary  night  is  interrupted 
>nly  by  a  twilight  o\'  an  hour  and  a  half  or  two  hours 

about  noon.     liven  m  the  height  of  summer  the  tops  of  tin- 
mountains  are  seen  covered  with  snow,    which  never  melt 8 

u  an  elevation  oi'  only  three  thousand  feet  above  the  level 

Of  the  sea.      As  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  it  encounters  nn 
mense  naked    plains,   the    sod  of  which  is  here  and  there 

covered  with  grass,  but  in  other  places  consists,  tor  miles 
ogether,  of  moorland,  or  of  dry,  sandy,  and  stony  tracti 

Varui£   a  scanty    herbage,      Woods   ot'  gloomy    rtul  and 

vlute  lirs,  alternate  with  detached  clumps  of  pines,  bird. 

rees,  and  alders,  and  gradually    disappear  as  you  proceci 

hward  ot  come  to  more  elevated  regions.     There 


IhtLA 
an<l  dWftff  \>)t'.!.<  ■        1     I  ■:■■  ■  ■■ 

ind    Nordfetaen,    which 

<  >,ll    ft  Of    .■' 

. 

w ,  /  ■  or  torn         .  ■  ■  /      ' 

Lapland* 
The  immenne  chain  of  the  ragged  Kiolian  rnoui 

La  poiarlt  i  fron  U  I 

.  ,  ... 

^me  d 
f  lorf.  rrherevei  the  U  I    i 
rithei 

•  ■ 

to  proi4  <  l  them  from  tfv       

There  peciee  of  game  am 

rhich  farniah  them   irith  H<  Thi 

to  COI 
The  I  in  Laplander  rnb 
pitMi      ,/  .    ■ 

mo  b,  whii  ervee  for  the  i>od  of 

man  iuUn  r      1  be  northern  b 

•  ,//,//  -  ,//,  ;&  //•  j  h  h  ch 
flavour,  -j r j r J  thrivea  jr:  I 
of  other  fi  ■  I      Tin 
and 

'l  Im    Ioj  g  rrinter  pigbta  ;^r';  rend< 
i 

In  g<  neral.  each  fan 
or  thirty  ;  baa  for  its  summer  pere 

of  land,  on   arhk  h  not 
eigbboura  -  and  the  roving 

ably  to  tm 
The .';  peoplei  nig 
■ 


32  SURVEY    OF  CHRISTIANITY  , 

whereupon  to  subsist.  They  pay  scarcely  any  imposts, 
and  are  not  forced  to  sacrifice  their  young  men  to  the 
military  service.  They  are  healthy  and  robust,  seldom 
above  five  feet  in  height,  and  with  their  simple  mode  of 
living  they  usually  attain  a  great  age.  Good-natured, 
hospitable,  and  without  artifice,  they  are  still  somewhat 
shy  and  suspicious  of  a  stranger  at  first  sight,  but  never 
disagreeable  when  they  have  become  more  familiar  with 
him.  Like  all  mountaineers  and  roving  tribes,  they  are 
firmly  attached  to  ancient  usages  and  opinions. 

Attempts  were  made  at  an  early  period  by  Norway 
and  Sweden  to  impart  to  them  notions  of  Christianity, 
but  to  very  little  purpose.  With  them  Jubmel  still  con- 
tinued to  be  the  Supreme  Being,  and  Perkel  the  author 
of  all  evil.  They  reverenced  the  one  from  fear,  as  much 
as  the  other  from  love,  just  as  many  ^Christians  reve- 
rence God  and  the  devil.  They  iiave  besides  a  long 
catalogue  of  gods  and  demi-gods,  among  whom  yet  figure 
Thor  and  Asjik,  who  reminds  us  of  the  Ases  of  the  Edda. 
To  these,  hu-mbly  bowed  in  the  dust,  they  offer  sacrifices, 
namely,  the  bones  and  horns  of  their  reindeer,  a  food 
which  is  certainly  too  hard  for  men,  and  may  therefore 
be  more  suitable  for  gods.  In  other  respects  the  good 
Fin-Laplanders  arc  not  much  more  superstitious  than  the 
common  people  of  our  civilized  country.  Instead  of 
employing  teacups  or  cards,  they  predict  future  events 
by  means  of  their  little  magic  drum  ;  and  instead  of 
quacks  and  cunning  men  and  women,  they  apply  to  their 
conjurors,  whose  number,  however,  is  daily  diminishing. 

When  the  Lapmarks  were  annexed  to  the  Swedish 
crown,  the  government  endeavoured  to  make  Christians 
of  their  inhabitants.  They  were  forced  in  several  places 
to  submit  to  be  married  by  priests,  and  to  bring  their 
children  to  be  baptized  ;  they  were  taught  to  kneel  beforo 
crucifixes — and  this  was  all  their  Christianity.  Kin^r 
Gustavus  I.  subsequently  sent  priests  among  them,  and 
even  built  them  a  school  in  the  town  of  Pitea,  in  Wes! 
Bothnia.  Charles  IX.  caused  churches  to  be  here  and 
there  erected  in  these  extensive  provinces;  Gustavus 
Adolphus  had  Lapland  school-books  printed  for  them  ; 
*nd  Queen  Christina  furnished  them  with  regular  and 


LAPLAXD.  33 

permanently  resident  ministers.  All  these  measures, 
however,  were  so  imperfectly  executed,  as  to  prove  inade- 
quate to  the  desired  effect.  Owing  to  the  diversity  oi 
Lapland  dialects,  very  few  persons  understood  the  lan- 
guage of  the  school-books  ;  and,  on  account  of  the  great 
extent  of  the  country,  which,  at  the  conclusion  of -the 
seventeenth  century,  contained  no  more  than  thirty  small 
churches,  thousands  lived  and  died  without  ever  seeing 
one  of  those  edifices. 

It  was  not  till  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth 
century  that  Frederic  I.  of  Sweden  set  about  the  work 
of  conversion  more  seriously,  but.  indeed  rather  harshly, 
Every  Laplander,  who  could  not  annually  produce  a  cer- 
tificate from  the  minister  that  he  had  attended  divine  ser- 
vice and  received  the  sacrament,  was  condemned  to  labour 
at  the  public  works.  In  1738,  the  Bible  was  translated 
into  the  Lapland  language  ;  a  particular  missionary  insti- 
tution was  also  founded  and  a  fund  of  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars  was  soon  collected  for  its  support.  In 
consequence  of  these  efforts,  the  whole  of  Swedish  Lap- 
land possessed  in  I75Q,  twelve'ptincipal  and  eight  subor- 
dinate churches,  and  six  schools.  The  Kaitomean  Lap- 
landers alone,  dwelling  in  the  Luleamark,  precisely  under 
the  polar  circle,  proved  refractory,  till  the  zealous  Peter 
Hogstrbm  had  the  courage  and  perseverance  to  become 
their  apostle.  He  who,  as  we  know  from  his  description 
of  the  country,  considered  all  the  Laplanders  as  descend- 
ants of  the  Hebrews  who  were  carried  into  the  Babylo- 
nian captivity — a  singular  notion  enough! — accompanied 
them  in  their  peregrinations  and  won  them  by  degrees. 

The  Norwegian  and  Fin-Laplanders  were  provided 
with  Christian  instruction  about  the  same  time  as  their 
Swedish  neighbours.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  Frederic  IV.  King  of  Denmark, 
caused  the  domestic  and  religious  state  of  the  tribes  to 
be  investigated,  and  then  founded,  in  1714,  an  institution 
expressly  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  But  the 
inflexible  perseverance  of  a  private  individual  accom- 
plished more  than  that  sovereign.  Thomas  ton  Westen, 
a  minister  of  the  diocess  of  Dronvheim,  whose  parish  lay 
contiguous  to  the  chain  of  the  Kiolian  mountains,  spon 


34  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

taneously  relinquished  his  tranquil  life,  and  went  forfli 
among  the  heathen  to  proclaim  the  word  of  the  Redeemer 
Supported  by  the  government,  he  erected  churches  and 
schools,  and  founded  at  D.ontheim  a  seminary  of  future 
messengers  of  salvation.  At  his  death,  in  1 724,  Finmark 
had  already  three  churches,  two  meeting-houses,  and  two 
schools  ;  and  Nordland  two  churches,  twenty  meeting- 
houses, and  eighteen  schools.  There  were  also  .two 
schoolmasters  and  missionaries  for  the  heathen  in  the 
province  of  Drontheim. 

Several  churches  and  schools  have  been  since  built 
there.  Lapland  has  at  present  thirteen  principal  and  ten 
filial  churches,  and  seven  schools.  Lutheran  hymn-books, 
catechisms,  edifying  tracts,  explanations  of  the  gospel, 
and  of  the  Bible  alone  three  translations  have  been  printed 
in  the  language  of  the  people.  The  exertions  of  the 
Evangelical  Society  of  Sweden,  established  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  year  Ut)8,  have  been  particularly  me- 
ritorious ;  and  not  less  so  those  of  the  Swedish  Bible 
Society  of  Stockholm,  instituted  in  1816.  with  its  auxiliary 
societies  at  Gotter.burg,  Lund,  "Wester'as,  Wisbye,  Skara, 
Wexio,  and  Nerike.  It  is  required  also  that  there  shall 
constantly  be  twelve  young  men  in  training,  at  the  expense 
of  the  king,  for  preachers  among  the  Lap-Fins. 

The  ancient  northern  paganism  is  far  from  being  yet 
exterminated  among  these  nomadic  tribes,  any  more  than 
among  their  neighbours,  the  northernmost  Fins,  who  like 
then;  rove  about  in  savage  independence.  Like  the 
Swedish  Bible  Societies,  however,  those  of  Russia  assi- 
duously exert  themselves  for  the  diffusion  of  the  most  an- 
cient records  of  Christianity  among  the  Russian  Lapland- 
ers and  Fins.  In  1815,  nearly  seven  thousand  Bibles 
were  distributed  among  the  latter  :  and  thus  we  may  con- 
fidently anticipate,  that  there  also  the  human  mind  will  in 
due  time  be  elevated  to  its  proper  dignity. 


lai>land.  36 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CONCLUSION. 

Rude  as  soil  and  climate  may  be  under  the  polar  circle, 
still  it  is  not  to  be  doubted  that.  Christianity,  which  refines 
the  manners,  purifies  the  feelings,  expands  the  ideas,  and 
opens  to  youth  as  it  were  anew  world  of  conceptions,  by 
means  of  the  increased  number  of  churches  and  schools, 
will  here  also  manifest  its  beneficial  effects,  and  even  im- 
prove the  state  of  the  people  in  a  civil  point  of  view. 

The  Fin-Laplander  is,  like  all  pastoral  people,  moun- 
taineers, and  nomades,  unappalled  by  the  hardships  which 
Nature  lays  upon  him  ;  but  averse  to  that  labour  which 
man  voluntarily  imposes  on  himself  to  better  his  condi- 
tion. He  engages,  therefore,  in  no  sort  of  occupation  to 
which  he  is  not  urged  by  necessity  :  more  than  that  he 
regards  as  folly.  To  do  nothing  belongs  to  his  higher 
pleasures.  With  this  disposition  to  indolence,  and  with 
the  simplicity  of  his  daily  employments  and  social  rela- 
tions, his  mind  sinks  into  a  sort  of  lethargy.  His  usual 
avocations  scarcely  need  the  effort  of  reflection.  His 
herds  of  reindeer  supply  all  his  wants.  Of  these  useful 
animals  he  has  such  an  abundance,  that  he  hardly  takes 
the  trouble  to  count  those  belonging  to  him.  In  times 
of  dearth  he  helps  himself  out  with  fishing  and  the  chase. 
The  example  of  agricultural  industry,  set  by  German, 
Swedish,  and  Finland  settlers,  who  were  sent  hither  for 
the  purpose,  and  to  whom  various  privileges  were  granted 
for  the  promotion  of  agriculture  and  the  rearing  of  cattle, 
proved  insufficient  to  allure  the  Laplander  from  his  old 
way  of  life.  Tins  example,  it  is  true,  was  but  rarely  en- 
couraging, because  these  foreigners  themselves  were 
mostly  poor  and  ignorant  peasants. 

There  are  three  ways  by  which  a  people,  may  be  roused 
into  life  and  activity.  Either  communicate  to  it  new  kinds 
of  wants,  the  satisfaction  of  which  requires  a  greater  ex- 


36  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

ertion  of  its  powers — this  way  is  the  corruption  of  man 
ners  which  is  usually  adopted  by  mercantile  nations,  to 
transform  harmless,  contented,  independent  tribes  into 
slaves  to  the  spirit  of  commerce — or,  let  men  be  awaken- 
ed from  their  long  slumber  by  some  great  and  general  ca- 
lamity, by  a  war,  by  the  violent  overthrow  of  ancient 
rights  and  institutions — who  could  recommend  this  horri- 
ble expedient  1  or  let  the  minds  of  rising  generations  be 
excited  to  self-cultivation  by  an  improved  system  of  pub- 
lic instruction. 

A  single  new  idea,  penetrating  the  whole  essence  of  a 
nation  with  convincing  power,  is  sufficient  to  achie\-.!  the 
most  extraordinary  changes  in  its  moral,  domestic,  and 
social  condition.  And  what  idea  can  operate  to  this  end 
with  greater  efficacy  than  that  most  sublime,  most  divine 
idea  which  Jesus  promulgated  ?  This  is  proved  by  the 
history  of  nearly  two  thousand  years.  Where  Christianity 
fails  to  manifest  this  influence,  we  may  be  sure  that  it 
has  lost  its  primitive  purity,  and  degenerated  into  the 
mere  observance  of  church  ceremonies,  or  into  an  empti 
profession  of  dogmatic  subtleties  and  opinions. 


PART   THE    SECOND 


ASIA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

REVIEW   OF    THE  FIRST    DIFFUSION    AND    SUBSEQUENT  SLT 
PRESSION  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN  ASIA. 

Anterior  to  the  migrations  of  nations,  which  spread 
barbarism   over  the  face   of  the    earth,  Christianity  had 
made  not  less  progress  in  Asia  than  in  Europe.     So  far  as 
the  sway  of  the  Roman  emperors  extended,  the  Gospel 
alone  was  predominant :   paganism   was  despised,    nay. 
frequently  persecuted  with  ali  the  extravagance  of  pious 
rage.     Throughout  the  whole  of  Asia  Minor,  far  into  the 
interior  of  Arabia,  the  word  of -Jesus  was  promulgated 
in  Armenia  also,  and  even  in  Persia,  numerous  congre 
gations  gathered  during  the  fourth  century  about  the  light 
of  the  better  religion.     The  zeal  of  individuals  for  tread 
ing  in  the  steps  of  the  first  apostles   of  Jesus,  and  pro 
claiming  the  true  God  in  distant  lands,  was  scarcely  more 
conspicuous  in  Europe  than  in  Asia.  It  is  extremely  proba- 
ble that  Bar-Thomas,  the  Syrian,  penetrated  so  early  as  the 
fifth  century  to  Hindoostan   and  the  coast  of  Malabar, 
and  preached  and  baptized  there.     It  is  more  certain  stil! 
that,  about  a  century  later,  hordes  dwelling  between  the 
Caucasus  and  the  Black  Sea  w7ere  converted  by  missions 
from   Constantinople. 

The   sect  founded  by  Nestorius,    patriarch   of  Con* 
stantinople,  proved  the  most  active  of  any  in  the  diffu- 
sion of  Christianity  in  Asia.     This  prelate,  namely,  had 
been  engaged  in  a  controversy  with  his  adversary,  Cyril 
4 


38  SURVEY  OF  CIIRISTIANITV. 

lus,  concerning  the  appellation  of  the  "mother  of  God'4 
given  to  the  Virgin  Mary,  and  on  the  question  whe- 
ther two  persons  are  united  in  a  mysterious  manner 
in  Christ  ;  in  which  controversy  the  whole  Christian 
church,  or  at  least  its  teachers,  soon  became  involved. 
INeither  mild  measures,  nor  force,  nor  imperial  commands 
could  reconcile  the  disputants.  The  Nestorians,  who 
adhered  to  their  notion  of  the  union  of  two  persons  in 
Christ,  God  and  man,  were  the  more  numerous  in  Asia. 
By  their  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen,  they  in- 
creased in  this  part  of  the  world  the  number  of  the  pro- 
fessors of  their  faith,  who  were  abhorred  in  the  west. 
Nestorian  Christians  traversed  Persia  and  the  steppes  of 
Tartary,  and  penetrated  to  China.  In  the  eleventh  cen- 
tury Nestorian  Christian  metropolitans  and  bishops  were 
established  in  Little  tiucharia,  or  Kashgar,  in  Turkestan, 
and  even  in  the  mountains  of  Tibet.  Scarcely  any  doubt 
was  entertained  that  in  a  few  centuries  all  the  nations  and 
tribes  of  Asia  would  be  imbued  with  and  sanctified  by  the 
spirit  of  Jesus. 

These  prospects  were  suddenly  changed  by  the  appear- 
ance of  Mfuhamed,  the  prophet  of  Mecca.  Arabia 
yielded  to  his  miracles,  or  to  his  agreeable  doctrines,  and 
to  the  success  of  his  arms.  Christianity  was  exterminated 
there,  and  not  long  afterwards  in  the  adjacent  countries. 
These  triumphs  of  the  enthusiastic  professors  of  the  Ko- 
ran seemed  at.  once  to  demonstrate  the  favour  of  heaven 
and  the  truth  of  a  religion  which,  flattering  the  feelings  of 
the  ardent,  barbarous  Orientals,  combined  a  grand  sys- 
tem of  morality  with  simplicity  of  religious  doctrines,  and 
confidence  in  the  irrevocable  decrees  of  the  Supreme 
Being  with  military  glory  and  the  pleasures  of  life.  This 
took  place  while  the  Christianity  of  those  countries  and 
times  presented  little  else  than  church  ceremonies,  scho- 
lastic subtleties,  and  sophistical  opinions  of  the  commen- 
tators on  the  Scriptures.  The  spirit  of  the  Saviour  was 
forgotten  in  the  dispute  concerning  the  nature  of  his  per- 
son. The  irreconcileable  animosity  of  the  parties  facili- 
tated the  progress  of  the  Saracens,  and  each  of  them  ra- 
ther exulted  in  the  fall  of  fellow-christian  antagonists,  than 
trembled  at  the  triumphs  of  the  infidel  Arabs.     The  Nesn 


ASIA.  39 

torians,  indeed,  were  suspected,  not  without  reason,  of 
traitorous  co-operation,  since  the  caliphs  Ahubekr,  Omar, 
and  Othman,  subdued,  with  such  wonderful  rapidity, 
Syria,  Phoenicia,  Palestine,  together  with  Jerusalem,  all 
Asia  Minor,  and  even  Persia,  and  compelled  them  to 
embrace  the  religion  of  their  Prophet.  But  the  downfal 
of  the  Greek  empire  and  of  Christianity  was  promoted  in 
a  much  greater  degree  by  the  imbecility  of  the  emperors 
at  Constantinople,  than  by  the  hatred  of  the  Nestorians. 
The  prodigious  efforts  of  Europe  in  the  Crusades  could 
not  save  either. 

The  Nestorian  Church,  nevertheless,  flourished  long 
afterwards  in  the  interior  of  Asia.  It  was  known  in  the 
elevated  plains  of  Tartary  ;  it  was  known  in  Hindoostan. 
and  at  the  Court  of  the  Mogul  himself:  and  China  con- 
tained, down  to  the  thirteenth  century,  many  Christian 
congregations.  Such  was  the  consequence  which  Nes- 
tor's disciples  possessed,  or  were  thought  to  possess,  that 
three  popes  sent  ambassadors  to  induce  them  to  unite 
with  the  western  church.  Joannes  a  Monte  Corvino  like- 
wise prepared  for  them  a  Tartar  translation  of  the  Psalms 
and  books  of  the  New  Testament.  It  was  certainly  a 
subject  of  just  regret,  that  tbo  Nestorian  Christians  had 
not,  during  the  period  of  their  prosperity,  succeeded  in 
converting  to  Christianity,  in  Turkestan  and  in  t.  e  steppes 
of  Khorasan  and  Bokhaia,  a  nation  which  soon  filled  all 
Asia  with  terror  by  its  victories. 

This  nation  was  that  of  the  Turks.  These  people, 
who  soon  became  the  destroyers  of  the  Arabian  caliphat, 
reduced  Persia  and  Asia  Minor  under  their  authority,  and 
menaced  Europe,  had  embraced  the  doctrine  of  Muhamed, 
and,  with  greater  intolerance  than  the  Arabs  themselves, 
made  the  Christians  of  all  countries  the  objects  of  their 
mortal  hatred.  Through  them  the  extent  and  influence 
of  the  Nestorians  were  greatly  diminished,  especially  in 
.western  Asia.  In  the  territories  of  the  Mongols  they 
were  more  firmly  established  :  nay,  when  these,  under 
the  conduct  of  their  mighty  Jenghis  Khan  and  his  suc- 
cessors, extended  in  the  thirteenth  century  their  sway 
from  the  frontiers  of  China  to  Syria,  and  still  farther,  the 
victories  of  the  ferocious  barbarians  seemed  to  be  at  the 


40  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY 

same  time  victories  for  Christianity.  It  is  even  assertcu 
that  Mangoo,  the  grandson  of  Jenghis  Khan,  was  a  Chris- 
tian— he  who  reduced  Bagdad,  and,  crossing  the  Eu- 
phrates, shook  Asia  Minor  and  Syria. 

But  all  these  were  soon  crushed  by  a  still  more  mighty 
hand.  In  the  interior  of  Tartary,  in  Jagatai,  which  bor- 
ders on  Persia,  China,  and  India,  arose  one  of  the  Emirs. 
Timurlenk,  and  became  a  second  Jenghis  Khan.  In  the 
career  of  his  successes  he  destroyed  a  whole  series  of 
ancient  and  modern  thrones,  and,  as  a  zealous  follower 
of  his  Arabian  prophet,  overthrow  all  the  temples  and 
altars  of  the  Christians.  So  terribly  did  he  complete  his 
work,  that  in  the  fifteenth  century  scarcely  any  vestiges 
of  iNestorian  Christians  remained  in  Central  and  Upper 
Asia.  Besides  the  ancient  paganism  of  the  deserts,  the 
religions  of  Muhamed,  Lama,  and  Brahma,  were  alone 
predominant.  <  hina  only  still  displayed  insignificant  and 
despised  relics  of  the  ancient  prosperity  of  the  Nestorians. 
The  Christian  kingdom  of  Jerusalem,  founded  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  eleventh  century  by  the  enthusiastic 
valour  of  the  European  Crusaders,  had  long  ceased  to 
exist.  The  professors  of  the  Gospel  lived  dispersed  and 
contemned  in  the  countries  of  Armenia,  Syria,  and  Asia 
Minor,  under  the  Turkish  dominion,  which  soon  extend- 
ed itself  over  Constantinople  and  Greece,  and  even  to 
the  Lower  Danube  towards  the  interior  of  Europe. 


CHAPTER  II. 

-TATE  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  SECTS  IN  TURKEY  IN  ASIA — 
CATHOLICS,  GREEKS,  MARONITES,  &C. THEIR  BAR- 
BARISM. 

A  tract  of  more  than  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
square  miles  in  Western  Asia  is  still  subject  to  the  Grand 
Signor  of  Constantinople.  Out  of  the  eleven  or  twelve 
millions  of  souls  inhabiting  these  countries  under  Turkish 


TUKKEY   IN  ASIA.  41 

supremacy,  there  are  scarcely  two  millions  of  Christians. 
They  are  treated  by  the  Turks  with  profound  contempt, 
but  experience  more  liberal  toleration  than  the  Protesants 
in  Spain,  Portugal,  and  other  Catholic  countries,  or  than 
the  Catholics  in  many  of  the  Protestant  stares  in  Europe. 
But,  as  in  Europe  so  in  Asia,  the  different  Christian  commu- 
nions render  themselves  despicable  by  their  mutual  hatred, 
and  ridiculous  by  their  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  each 
other.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing,  as  we  are  informed  by 
recent  travellers,  that  the  Turkish  sentinels  at  the  holy  se- 
pulchre in  Jerusalem  are  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  force 
to  keep  order  among  the  <  hristian  devotees,  when  the 
latter,  full  of  jealous  zeal,  come  to  blows  with  one  another, 
and  the  Nestorian  Christian  taunts  the  Catholic,  or  the 
Catholic  the  Greek. 

Under  the  protection  of  the  Grand  Signor  the  Catho- 
lics have,  in  Asia  Minor,  arid  especially  in  the  Holy  Land, 
several  scattered  congregations  and  convents,  which,  as 
well  as  the  Catholics  of  European  and  African  Turkey, 
are  under  the  ecclesiastical  superintendence  of  te  bishops 
and  two  archbishops.  Most  of  the  Catholic  attempts 
at  conversion  have  hitherto  been  directed  from  Mesopota- 
mia, Bagdad,  and  Bassora,  to  Syria  and  ChaJdaea.  The 
Catholic  worship  is  performed  with  the  same  freedom  in 
the  heart  of  the  mountains  of  Syria  as  in  Rome  itself: 
but  in  the  former,  the  manners  of  its  professors  are  more 
simple  and  more  pure.  The  Syrian  monks  are  neither 
very  rigid  nor  great  divines  ;  but  they  give  simple  rules 
and  strictly  follow  them.  The  secular  clergy  are  not  dis- 
tinguished either  for  rank  or  theological  knowledge,  but 
they  are  pious  and  respected.  They  know  no  other  guide 
but  the  Gospel.  They  live  in  poverty  and  support  their 
families  by  the  labour  of  their  hands.  How  different  this 
state  of  things  from  that  at  Rome !  The  number  of 
these  Christians  is  as  little  known  as  that  of  the  Nesto- 
rians  and  Jacobites,  who  live  round  about  as  far  as  Arabia 
and  Persia,  and  who  for  a  thousand  years  past  have  been 
at  variance  concerning  the  natures  and  wills  in  Christ,  and 
also  about  certain  ceremonies  of  divine  worship.  The 
patriarch  of  the  Nestorian  Christians,  whose  dignity  is 
hereditary,  resides  at  Coch-Hames,  in  the  mountains  of 
4* 


i2  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

northern  Kurdistan  More  like  the  leader  of  a  military 
clan  than  the  prelate  of  a  religious  community,  he  exercises 
the  power  of  life  and  death  over  his  flock. 

The  patriarch  of  the  Syrian  Jacobites,  who  has  under 
iiim  twenty-one  bishoprics,  lives  in  the  convent  of  Der- 
Zaaferan,  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  city  of  Mardin  in 
Mesopotamia.  These  Jacobites,  like  their  priests,  are 
rude  and  ignorant.  The  bishop  of  Hkesn,  situate  on  the 
Tigris  between  Mardin  and  Jezira,  is  one  of  the  most 
noted  robbers  of  his  horde.  He  even  takes  his  gun  with 
him  to  the  altar  while  he  performs  divine  service. 

The  Maronites  are  more  numerous,  especially  in  the 
mountains  of  Kesroan,  a  branch  of  the  Lebanon.  Their 
many  parishes — they  amount  to  about  two  hundred — 
extend  through  Syria  beyond  Aleppo  and  Damascus.  At 
Damascus  itself,  indeed,  the  Christians  appear  more  like 
slaves  than  free  men,  owing  no  less  to  their  own  pusilla- 
nimity than  to  the  arrogance  of  the  Turks.  They  may  be 
recognised  in  the  streets,  as  a  modern  traveller  assures  us, 
by  their  abject  cringing  manner.  Their  priests,  espe 
cially  in  the  mountains,  are  poor ;  they  are  allowed  to 
marry,  but  must  take  virgins  only  to  wife.  Fewr  of  them 
remain  single,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  their  parish- 
ioners. Divine  service  is  held  in  the  Syrian  language  ;  but 
the  gospels  and  prayers  are  read  in  Arabic.  The  Ma- 
ronites, in  the  low  country  and  in  the  mountains,  are  of 
more  noble  and  independent  principles  than  those  in  the 
towns,  upright  in  their  conduct,  innocent,  and  often  dread- 
fully severe  in  their  manners.  The  women  there  are  not 
so  closely  veiled  as  in  the  cities  ;  but  an  unmarried  female 
who  proves  pregnant  atones  for  her  indiscretion  with  her 
life,  which  is  taken  by  the  hand  of  her  own  parents  ;  and 
a  mother  deems  hcrs<  f  dishonoured  when  her  son-in-law 
fails  to  produce  evide.ee  of  her  daughter's  chastity  the 
day  after  their  nuptials  Thus  do  the  Maronites  render 
themselves  respected,  particularly  by  the  Druses.  Tribu- 
tary to  the  Emirs  of  the  latter,  they  are  sometimes  their 
principal  and  most  trusty  servants.  The  Maronite  Chris- 
tians, too,  are  continually  increasing  under  the  Druses.  It 
is  even  asserted  that  Ubschir,  Emir  of  the  Druses,  (in  the 
vear  1811)  was  a  Christian,  at  least  in  his  heart.     The 


TURKEY   IN   ASIA.  43 

Catholics  regard  the  Maronitcs  as  brethren,  because  they 
consider  the  pope  as  their  head,  and  the  latter  confirms 
the  patriarch,  whom  they  themselves  elect.  In  the  year 
18  J  8,  Giarve,  the  archbishop  (since  elected  patriarch)  oi 
Jerusalem,  appeared  at  the  feet  of  his  Holiness  at  Rome, 
and  obtained  from  the  King  of  France  Syrian  types  and 
printing-presses  for  his  convent  on  Lebanon  Thus,  too, 
many  of  the  dispersed  relics  of  the  IXestorian  church  arc 
for  the  like  reason  considered  as  good  Catholics. 

The  Armenian  and  still  more  the  Greek  Christians  arc 
dispersed  in  the  greatest  numbers  through  the  Turkish 
empire  in  Asia.  The  head  of  the  ancient  Armenian 
church,  however,  resides  not  in  the  Turkish,  but  in  the 
Persian  dominions,  at  the  convent  of  Idschmiassin,  or 
■*  The  Descent  of  the  Incarnate, '"  in  Erivan.  There  the 
patriarch  bears  the  appellation  of  Hugas  Kathaltos,  that 
is,  Emperor  of  thfi  Elect,  and  in  hoi)  supremacy  of  power 
dispenses  his  commands  to  the  archbishops  of  the  Arme- 
nian church  at  Ajas,  in  Caramania,  at  Agtomar,  on  the 
salt  lake  of  Wan,  in  Turcomania,  and  at  Constantinople, 
as  well  as  to  the  many  sufi'ragan  bishops  and  abbots  in 
Syria  and  *he  rot  ot  Asia  Minor.  The  head  of  the  Ca- 
tholic-Armenian religion  resides  at  Constantinople,  of  the 
Catholic-Syrian  on  Mount  Lebanon,  and  of  the  Catholic- 
Chaldaeanat  Diarbekir.  The  church  of  the  latter,  how 
ever,  is  in  a  most  deplorable  decline. 

The  head  of  the  Greek  church,  on  the  other  hand,  or 
at  least  of  that  branch  of  it  which  is  under  the  Turkish 
dominion,  resides  at  Constantinople,  as  archbishop  of 
Stambul,  and  cecuinenic  patriarch  over  the  patriarchs  of 
Antioch,  Alexandria,  and  Jerusalem,  more  than  twenty 
metropolitans  and  as  many  archbishops,  one  hundred  and 
twenty  despots,  or  bishops,  and  innumerable  archiman- 
drites, igumens,  popes,  deacons.  &c. 

The  Turkish  empire  is  not  wholly  restitute  of  Pro 
testant  congregations,  but  their  number  is  very  small.  Not 
only  at  Constantinople,  but  even  in  the  heart  of  Syria,  at 
Aleppo,  are  to  be  found  churches  and  schools  of  Cal^ 
vinists  and  Lutherans. 

Attempts  of  the  Christians  at  conversion,  if  they  pre- 
sume to  direct  them  against  professors  of  the  Koran,  arc 
attended  with  great  danger  ;  hence  they  arc  but  faint 


H  SURVEY    OP   CHRISTIATsTTl 

nay,  scarcely  perceptible.  The  G  ospel  indeed  is  preacheti 
to  the  Jews,  but  wi.hout  much  fruit.  The  mission  lor 
the  conversion  of  th<-  Muhamedans,  which  Professor  Cal- 
lenberg,  of  Halle,  assisted  to  found  in  the  first  half  of  the 
last  century,  extended  its  operations  with  extreme  caution 
towards  Asia  Minor.  All  that  was  done  consisted  in  the 
distribution  of  some  thousand  copies  of  a  translation  of 
the  New  Testament,  or  the  shorter  Catechism  of  Luther, 
in  Constantinople,  Smyrna,  and  Aleppo  ;  and  to  little  more 
than  this  are  the  efforts  of  the  British  and  ivussian  Bible 
Societies  at  present  limited. 

The  press  of  the  Missionary  Society  at  Malta  is  very 
actively  engaged,  it  is  true,  in  printing  portions  of  the 
Scriptures  and  tracts  in  Creek,  Arabic,  and  Italian — 
among  the  rest  a  monthly  publication,  "  rJ  he  Friend  of 
Blan,1'  begun  in  January,  1826- —which  are  circulated  in 
the  Ionian  Islands  and  Greece,  at  Constantinople  and 
Smyrna,  and  in  Syria  and  Egypt. 

Perhaps  no  greater  service  could  be  rendered  to  the 
Christian  churches  in  Asiatic  Turkey  than  to  begin  by 
converting  these  themselves  to  Christianity  :  for  by  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  Christians  there  of  all  communions 
live  in  a  state  of  ignorance  and  moral  depravity.  Priests 
as  well  as  laity  are  mostly  sunk  in  the  mire  of  a  supersti- 
tion which  they  term  religion.  The  very  Turks  fre- 
quently appear  more  noble,  more  rational,  more  religious, 
than  they.  The  picture  of  the  Greeks  given  by  Meyer 
of  Arbon,*  one  of  the  latest,  most  upright,  and  most  in- 
telligent, of  travellers,  serve  to  convince  us  that  the  Turks 
cannot  help  feeling  more  and  more  abhorrence  for  Chris- 
tianity, when  they  have  daily  before  their  eyes  the  atro- 
cious depravity  of  those  who  call  themselves  Christians. 

The  monks  in  Asiatic  Turkey  live  chiefly  by  the  stupid 
credulity  of  the  laity,  and  those  at  Jerusalem  in  particular 
by  the  devotion  of  eastern  and  western  pilgrims.  The 
convent  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  alone  sells  relics,  rosaries, 
agnus-deis,  crucifixes,  and  amulets,  of  all  sorts,  to  the 
amount  of  fifty  thousand  piastres  per  annum.  Several 
hundred  chests  of  such  articles  are  annually  sent  off  to 

*  His  travels  are  published  in  the  German  language,  with  the  title  of 
Schicksale  cine*  Schweizers  toahrend  seiner  Reise  nach  Jerusalem, 
&c— -St.  Gall,  1815,  3  vols, 


TURKEY    IN    ASIA.  4£> 

*reat  distances  around  ;  and  even  Muhamedan  families 
subsist  by  the  manufacture  of  them  for  convents.  The 
scenes  exhibited  on  Palm-Sunday  at  Jerusalem,  when 
men,  women,  and  children,  all  plunge  publicly  stark-naked 
into  the  Jordan  ;  or  those  on  Easter  Eve,  when  Greeks, 
Armenians,  and  Catholics,  run,  leap,  and  crawl,  like  ma- 
niacs, round  the  holy  sepulchre,  with  shouts  of  Hvja  !  or 
rush  furiously  to  the  grave  for  the  purpose  of  there  lighting 
their  tapers  at  the  fire  which  has  descended  from  heaven, 
cannot  but  excite  in  the  Turks  the  utmost  contempt,  for 
Christianity. 

fn  Syria  and  in  the  greater  part  of  Asia  Minor,  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  and  especially  the  Greeks 
and  Armenians,  are  deemed  the  most  depraved  and  de- 
ceitful of  men.  They  have  themselves  in  general  a  mwh 
higher  opinion  of  Muhamedans  than  of  one  another,  and 
particularly  of  those  who  perform  frequent  pilgrimages 
to  Jerusalem  and  other  places  of  devotion.  On  the  latter 
point  they  coincide  with  the  followers  of  Muhamed.  who. 
though  they  consider  a  visit  to  Mecca  as  meritorious, 
nevertheless  have  this  saying  :  "•  Beware  of  thy  neighbour 
if  he  has  been  at  Mecca  ;  and  if  he  ha*  been  twice  there, 
sell  thy  house  and  move  out  of  his  way." 

The  distribution  of  Turkish,  Armenian,  Syriac,  and 
Arabic,  translations  of  the  Bible  may  possibly  contribute 
to  the  regeneration  of  Christianity  in  those  countries.  Cy- 
rillus.thececumenic  patriarch  and  archbishop  of  Constan- 
tinople, in  1814,  granted  at  least  his  patriarchal  permission 
for  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures  among  the  Greeks, 

The  cause  of  Christianity  in  Turkey  seems,  however, 
to  have  suffered  by  the  insurrection  of  the  Greeks  against 
their  Muhamedan  masters,  and  the  murder,  in  1821,  of 
the  patriarch  Gregory  and  other  Greek  ecclesiastics,  in 
Constantinople  and  various  parts  of  the  domin  ons  of  the 
Grand  Signor.  The  zeal  of  this  patriarch  in  the  dissemi- 
nation of  scriptural  knowledge,  encouraged  by  the  agents 
of  the  British  Bible  Society,  was  a  permanent  and  grow- 
ing principle,  and  it  was  particularly  manifested  in  his 
patronage  of  the  undertaking  of  Hiiarion,  the  archiman- 
drite of  his  church,  to  give  to  his  countrymen  an  accept- 
able version  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  the  other  transla 


10  SURVEY  OF  ClIlllSTIANITi. 

tions  of  the  Bible  in  progress  at  Constantinople  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  hopes  of  Christians  kindled  by 
the  prospects  held  forth  by  the  co-operation  of  this  prelate, 
are,  indeed,  damped  by  these  and  other  untoward  circum- 
stances ;  but  we  cannot  doubt  that  the  sacred  work  of 
diffusing"  the  liifht  of  the  Gospel  in  this  semi-barbarian 
portion  of  Europe,  though  delayed,  will  be  eventually 
accomplished. 

The  state  of  the  Greek  church  itself  presents  one  of 
the  greatest  obstacles  to  this  desirable  consummation  ; 
for  there  are  even  bishops  and  archbishops  who  have 
hitherto  known  nothing  of*  the  sacred  books  of  Christen- 
dom, or  perhaps  no  more  than  the  contents  of  the  four 
Gospels  Still  more  ignorant  were  the  other  Greeks  and 
Armenians  respecting  the  written  sources  of  their  faith. 
it  is  to  be  lamented  that  these  people  have  very  few  good 
schools  ;  and  though  they  may  have  learned  to  read,  very 
seldom  feel  any  inclination  for  reading.  This  they  leave 
to  their  clergy,  and  the  latter  care  much  more  for  the 
gifts  and  offerings  which  are  made  to  them,  than  about 
the  piety  of  the  flocks  committed  to  their  charge.  It 
is  well  known  that  the  patriarch  of  Constantinople  pur- 
chases of  the  sultan,  at  the  price  of  one  bundled  thou- 
sand piastres,  his  Christian  dignity,  which  confers  on  him 
the  rank  of  a  pacha  of  tvvo  tails,  ami  that  he  is  obliged  to 
devise  means  of  bringing  that  sum  back  again  into  the 
sacred  exchequer. 

The  influence  possessed  by  the  Roman  Catholics  seems 
to  be  another  powerful  obstacle  to  the  dissemination  of 
the  truths  of  Christianity  in  the  Turkish  dominions.  To 
that  influence  is  ascribed  the  hostility  lately  manifested  by 
the  government  to  the  efforts  of  Protestant  missionaries 
and  to  the  circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  which  was  ex- 
pressly prohibited  by  a  firman  of  the  Grand  Signor's 
issued  in  1824,  on  the  ground  of  their  being  false  books, 
and  which  commands  that  all  such  books  as  have  been 
lately  introduced  from  Europe  shall  be  forcibly  taken  from 
their  owners  and  burnt.  The  Romish  vicar-apostolical 
in  the  patriarchate  of  Constantinople,  seconding  this 
measure,  in  a  circular  dated  May,  1826,  and  addressed 
to  the  Christians  of  his  church,  threatens  with  excommu- 


TURKEY   IN   ASIA.  41 

mcation  all  who  arc  in  possession  of  biblical  works  pro- 
hibited by  the  pope,  and  shall  not  within  eight  days  sur- 
render them  "  to  be  consigned  to  the  flames  merited  by 
such  infected  and  pestilential  books,  which  deprave  and 
corrupt  the  world.'*  This  anathema  was  especially  called 
forth  by  the  circulation  of  various  publications  in  Greek 
and  Italian,  issued  from  the  Church  Mission  press  at 
Malta,  and  sent  to  Constantinople.  The  firman  of  the 
sultan  has  been  made  the  plea  for  breaking  up  several 
flourishing  Christian  schools,  burning  hundreds  of  copies 
of  the  Bible,  and  imprisoning  and  otherwise  punishing 
those  with  whom  this  book  has  been  found. 

A  communication  signed  by  missionaries  of  different 
societies,  labouring  amidst  the  dangers  arising  from  Turk- 
ish oppression,  excited  by  Romish  bribery  and  intrigue, 
contains  these  observations,  which  deserve  the  serious  at- 
tention of  the  British  government  :  "  The  treaty  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  Porte  professes  to  place  England 
on  the  footing  of  the  most  favoured  nation.  Where  is  this 
impartiality,  so  solemnly  pledged  ?  Other  nations  are  al- 
lowed to  send  hither  hundreds  of  missionaries  and  whole  edi- 
tions of  really  false  books,  to  erect  here  convent  after  con- 
vent, and  to  receive  native  Christians  under  their  religious 
instruction.  For  hundreds  of  years  have  other  nations 
gone  on  with  this  work,  with  little  or  no  complaints  from 
government  ;  but  the  moment  such  liberty  is  taken  by 
the  English  nation,  and  in  the  most  inoffensive  and  un- 
objectionable form — that  of  distributing  among  Chris- 
tians their  own  sacred  books — immediately  a  public  order 
is  issued  to  prevent  this  work.  We  see  not  why  this  is 
not  really  and  properly  a  violation  of  treaty  ;  as  truly  so 
as  it  would  be  to  burn  all  the  Romish  books,  to  shut  up 
al!  the  convents  of  the  Terra  Santa  establishment,  or  to 
expel  all  the  Latin  missionaries  from  the  country. 

"  If  proper  representations  are  made  on  this  subject 
in  the  right  quarter,  we  have  strong  hopes  that  the  results 
would  be  a  formal  repeal  of  the  obnoxious  firman,  express 
permission  to  English  missionaries  to  reside  in  the  coun- 
try,  in  their  own  proper  character,  leave  to  distribute 
Bibles  and  to  erect  churches  like  other  nations,  and  a  full 
security  against  violence  to  the  persons  and  property  of 


48  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

those  who  might  choose  to  assemble  and  unite  with  them 
in  worship/' 

The  public  events  which  have  recently  taken  place  in 
these  parts,  and  more  especially  the  battle  of  Navarin, 
however  they  may  indispose  the  Turks  to  favour  English- 
men, can  scarcely  fail  to  add  weight  to  any  proper  inter- 
ference in  behalf  of  our  countrymen,  or  of  any  Christians 
in  connexion  with  them.  Meanwhile  the  press  is  pour- 
ing forth  the  Scriptures  and  Christian  books,  which  make 
their  way  in  spite  of  opposition  ;  and  Malta,  by  the  pro- 
ductions of  her  able  and  devoted  labourers,  is  fulfilling  a 
far  higher  -and  nobler  destiny  than  merely  as  a  great  out- 
work of  her  country. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    PAGANISM    OP    SIBERIA    AND  THE    RUSSIAN    STATES- 
DEFECTIVE    INSTITUTIONS  FOR  CONVERSION CONVENT- 
UAL   SCHOOLS MISSIONS. 

The  vast,  north  of  Asia,  subject  to  the  Russian  sceptic, 
contains  a  superficial  area  of  more  than  four  millions  of 
square  miles,  a  space  so  extensive  that  it  would  admit 
within  its  limits  the  whole  of  Europe  were  it  half  as  large 
again  as  it  is.  This  immense  tract,  inhabited  by  many 
heathen  nations,  which  are  living  in  a  state  of  primitive 
barbarism,  and  which  scarcely  number  nine  millions  of 
souls,  is  for  the  most  part  a  dreary  desert ;  full  of  steppes, 
extending  farther  than  the  eye  can  reach,  and  the  salt  soil 
of  which  is  not  embellished  by  a  single  tree  ;  or  moors 
and  endless  forests,  into  the  heart  of  which  mortal  has 
scarcely  ever  penetrated-  The  wilderness  becomes  stili 
more  dead  and  dreary  at  every  step  towards  the  polar 
circle,  where  the  soil  is  more  and  more  unsusceptible  of 
cultivation,  till  at  length  man  and  beast  succumb  beneath 
the  inclement  sky  in  the  unequal  conflict  with  Nature. 
It  is  not  an  uncommon  circumstance  for  snow  to  fall  in 


SfBERIA  AND  THE   RUSSIAN  STATES.  49 

the  summer  months  in  Siberia  ;  and  in  the  \vinters*)f 
Nertschinsk  and  Tobolsk,  quicksilver  is  congealed  into 
so  hard  a  mass  that  it  may  be  hammered  out  into  leaves. 

The  greater  part  of  the  tribes,  rude  and  independent, 
lead  a  roving  life,  under  moveable  tents  and  jurts,  in  caves 
and  subterraneous  houses,  engaged  in  rapine,  the  breed- 
ing of  cattle,  hunting,  and  fishing.  Many,  overwhelmed 
by  cares  for  the  preservation  of  life,  without  any  notiort 
of  a  better  state,  brood  in  sullen  stupidity  over  the  means 
of  prolonging  their  wretched  existence ;  following,  like 
the  brute  beast,  only  the  first  instincts  of  Nature.  Others 
have  indeed  elevated  themselves  to  religious  conceptions, 
or  have  inherited  them  from  their  ancestors ;  but  these 
conceptions  are  crude  and  scanty,  like  their  mode  of 
life — a  paganism  which  may  be  termed  the  abortion  of 
the  most  uncultivated  understanding.  Others  again 
bear,  it  is  true,  the  signs  of  Christianity  and  baptismal 
names,  but  without  having  the  most  obscure  notion  of  the 
religion  of  Christians.  They  are  still  heathen,  attached 
to  the  gods  of  their  forefathers,  and  such  they  will  long 
remain.  In  the  more  recent  enumerations,  there  were 
found  to  be  about  a  million  of  fire  and  fetish  worship- 
pers, besides  about  three  hundred  thousand  subjects  of 
the  Lama  religion,  in  addition  to  the  professors  of  the 
Koran,  about  three  millions  of  whom  inhabit  the  Asiatic 
dominions  of  Russia. 

In  the  course  of  the  eighteenth  century,  various  attempts 
were  made  to  propagate  Christianity  through  the  Tartaries 
and  the  deserts  of  Siberia.  Very  few  of  them  were  pro- 
ductive of  benefit ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  very  few  were 
conducted  with  prudence  and  in  a  purely  Christian  spirit. 
Philophei,  Greek  archbishop  of  Tobolsk,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  eighteenth  century,  sent  several  of  his  clergy 
to  the  Mongol  tribes  and  their  kutuchtes,  or  Lama  high^ 
priests,  but  without  success.  Full  of  pious  zeal,  he  at 
length  went  himself,  in  the  year  1712,  to  the  Ostiaks,  who 
live  by  hunting,  fowling, and  fishing,  in  the  wilds  along  the 
Obi.  He  took  with  him  priests  and  Russian  soldiers. 
He  entered  the  juts  of  the  timid  people  ;  attacked  then; 
Shamans,  or  sorcerers  ;  burned  their  household-gods, 
rudelv  carved  wooden  dolls,  clothed  in  rags  ;  overthrew 

5 


50  SURVEY   OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

the  sacred  trees  ;  forbade  polygamy  and  the  eating  of 
horseflesh  ;  enjoined  the  observance  of  the  Greek  fasts 
and  the  wearing  of  the  cross  ;  and  was  at  the  same  time 
assiduous  in  baptizing.  He  frequently  ordered  his  mili- 
tary attendants  to  drive  large  bodies  of  the  refractory  into 
the  water,  where  they  then  received  baptism,  whether 
they  would  or  not. 

In  other  parts,  attempts  at  conversion  were  conducted 
in  nearly  the  same  manner,  among  the  indolent  and  efiemi- 
nate  Buraits,  who  inhabit  the  country  from  the  Jenesei 
to  the  frontiers  of  China,  dwell  in  felt  huts,  and  worship 
Oktorgon  Burchan,  the  good  spirit,  and  Okodol,  the  evil 
one,  besides  heavenly  bodies  and  household  deities  ; — 
among  the  Wogules  along  the  northern  Ural  mountains, 
who  are  addicted  to  the  chase,  and  who  invoke  particular 
deities  preparatory  to  particular  occupations  ;  among,  the 
Tungusians,  Wotyaiks,  &,c.  It  seemed,  therefore,  not  at 
all  incredible,  when  Theodore,  metropolitan  of  Tobolsk, 
announced  with  exultation,  in  the  year  1721,  the  baptism 
of  more  than  forty  thousand  Tartars,  and  their  conversion 
completed  in  a  very  short  time  :  or  when  the  College 
De  Propaganda  Fide  acquainted  the  sacred  synod  of  Pe- 
tersburg with  the  conversion  of  295,679'souls  among  the 
Wotyaiks,Tchuwashes,Tcheremisses,and  Mord wines,  in  a 
series  of  eight  years,  from  1740  to  174  7.  Rapid  progress 
wTas  also  made  in  baptizing  the  Calmucks,  through  the  zeal 
of  Nicodemus  Lenkeiawitz,  archimandrite  of  Astracan, 
especially  since  IVIursa  Tenishkow,  in  1732,  and  even 
Dshan,the  female  Khan  of  the  Calmucks,  in  1744,  thought 
fit  to  accept  the  bath  of  regeneration,  for  which  their 
god-mother,  the  Empress  Elizabeth,  made  them  valuable 
presents,  and  conferred  on  them  the  princely  rank. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  add  a  single  remark  on  the 
spirit  of  those  Russian  apostles  and  their  proselytes,  and 
on  the  Christianity  of  both.  The  travels  of  a  Gmelin, 
a  Pallas,  and  more  recent  writers,  furnish  no  very  pleas- 
ing accounts  of  the  Christianity  of  the  Fins,  Tartars, 
and  Mongols.  From  them  we  learn  that  it  was  mostly 
hordes,  living  in  abject  poverty  and  want,  which  submit- 
ted to  baptism  in  the  hope  of  gain  ;  and  that  they  were 
ao  better  Christians  for  their  conversion,  as  it  was  called. 


SIBERIA  AKD  THE  RUSSIAN  STATES.  51 

Xlian  they  had  been  before.  The  utmost  they  did,  in 
order  to  ingratiate  themselves  with  the  Russians,  was  to 
adopt  a  few  of  the  usages  of  the  Greek  church,  and 
punctually  celebrate  its  festivals,  because  they  were  sup- 
plied on  such  occasions  with  beer  or  brandy,  wherewith 
to  intoxicate  themselves.  The  more  wealthy  nations,  on 
the  contrary,  the  Tungusians,  who  possess  numerous 
herds,  the  Beltires,  &c,  adhered  stedfastly  to  the  gods 
of  their  country  and  the  usages  of  their  ancestors.  The 
migrations  of  many  of  the  Cal mucks  to  the  Chinese  ter- 
ritory are  even  said  to  have  been  a  consequence  of  the 
indignation  of  these  Mongols  against  the  Kussian  clergy 
and  their  armed  deacons,  since  the  Lama  Priests  account- 
ed to  the  people  in  the  fbHowing  manner  for  the  zeal  ma- 
nifested  by  the  Russians  for  their  conversion  : — "  The 
Russian  God  wants  .money,  the  Russian  governor  bread, 
the  Russian  czar  recruits  :  this  is  the  reason  why  you  are 
to  become  Christians  and  to  till  the  ground   like  slaves." 

Under  the  (impress  Catherine  II.  milder  and  more  pru- 
dent measures  were  adopted.  A  particularly  judicious 
step  was  the  foundation  of  seminaries  for  the  education  of 
boys  belonging  to  the  Tchuwashes,  Tcheremisses,  Mord- 
wines,  Calmucks,  and  other  Tartar  and  Mongol  tribes, 
who  were  afterwards  to  be  employed  as  teachers  and 
priests  among  their  roving  countrymen.'  Similar  institu- 
tions were  established  at  Irkutzk,  Kusan,  and  other  places; 
and  the  Jesuits  also  sent  forth  missionaries  into  the  desert 
steppes. 

Of  the  harvest  produced  by  the  sacred  seed  which  they 
sowed  verv  little  is  known.  We  may,  nevertheless,  fairly 
presume  that  all  their  pains  were  not  thrown  away  ;  they 
were  at  least  a  preparation  to  something  better.  How, 
indeed,  can  we  hope  to  perceive  important  results  from 
the  zeal  of  individuals  who  are  lost  like  minute  points  in 
the  immensity  of  spice,  among  such  a  multitude  of  differ- 
ent tribes — tribes  which  often  live  completely  dispersed, 
without  permanent  abodes,  and  which  are  still  destitute  of 
the  first  preliminary,  moral  cultivation  !  The  religious 
notions  of  nations  are  always  in  the  same  ratio  with  their 
other  notions  Hence  we  still  find  in  the  interior  of  Asia 
descendants  of  ancient  Christians — as  the  Awchases,  in 


b2  SURVEY  OF  CnHISTlANITY. 

Russian  Georgia,  or  among  the  Lesgi,  in  whose  valleys 
and  mountains,  along  the  river  Koisu,  may  still  he  disco- 
vered unequivocal  relics  of  the  Avarea  and  Huns — who 
Iujow  nothing  of  Christian  rites  beyond  the  observance  of 
Sunday  and  the  long  fasts  of  the  Greek  church.  Thus, 
too,  we  meet  with  Muhamedan  tribes,  who  know  scarcely 
any  thing  of  the  Koran  of  their  Prophet,  excepting  cir- 
cumcision and  abstinence  froi"  swine's  flesh  and  strong 
liquors.  Jewish  Tartars  are  also  to  be  seen — for  instance, 
in  the  Khanat  of  Kuha — who  have  retained  but  little  of  the 
law  of  Moses.  They  are  downright  heathen,  like  the 
rest — like  the  Mongols,  in  the  sandy  plains  of  Chiigontui, 
in  which  stands  their  most  celebrated  datsan,  or  temple, 
according  to  whom  the  sialactitic  caves  in  the  lofty  moun- 
tains of  Uda  are  the  abodes  of  the  spirits,  both  good  and 
evil. 

Ages  must  elapse  beiore  all  these  tribes  of  northern 
and  central  Asia,  many  of  whom  are  yet  but  little  known, 
attain  a  higher  degree  of  general  civilization.  The  very 
nature  of  their  climate,  and  the  mode  of  life  resulting 
from  it,  operate  as  obstructions.  The  principal  means 
for  accomplishing  this  desirable  end  must  be  furnished  by 
Russia  in  Europe  ;  but  even  that  country  is  still  lar  be- 
hind the  other  nations  of  our  quarter  of  the  globe. 

Hence  the  Emperor  Alexander  deserved  the  especial 
gratitude  of  all  the  friends  of  mankind  by  ii's  efforts  for 
the  improvement  of  the  system  of  education.  His  admi- 
rable ukase  relative  to  the  ecclesiastical  or  conventual 
schools  is  well  known  ;  stiil  there  are  in  the  whole  empire 
scarcely  sixty  of  these  institutions,  which  alone  require 
an  expenditure  of  three  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  rubles 
for  their  support.  In  the  year  1814,  there  were  twenty 
thousand  scholars  and  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven  teach- 
ers in  the  higher  class  of  these  schools,  thirty-six  in  num- 
ber, which  are  called  seminaries,  and  differ  from  the 
eighteen  lower,  which  limit  their  instruction  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical academies  at  Kioff,  Moscow,  AlexandrorT,  and  Ka- 
san,  there  were  at  the  same  time  four  thousand  pupisl 
ind  fifty  teachers. 

In  addition  to  these  efforts,  the  Russian  Bible  Socio- 


SIBERIA  AND    TUB  RUSSIAN  STATES.  53 

ties  deserve  great  credit  for  the  circulation  of  the  sacred 
scriptures  in  the  Russian,  Armenian,  Cahnuck,  Grusiaa, 
Persian,  and  other  languages  ;  and  the  missions  establish- 
ed in  179b'  by  the  Edinburgh  Missionary  Society  are  not 
less  meritorious.  It  is  remarkaole  that  at  the  present  day, 
as  some  centuries  since,  in  the  middle  ages,  Britain  has 
done  most  to  animate  the  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  the 
heathen,  as  well  as  furnished  the  greatest  number  of  mis* 
sionaries  for  the  good  work  ;  for  it  has  not  tewer  than 
twelve  different  extensive  societies,  actively  engaged  in 
the  diffusion  of  Christianity. 

So  far  back  as  the  year  1803,  two  British  ministers, 
Henry  Brunton  and  Alexander  i'aterson,  accompanied 
by  a  young  African,  named  Harrison,  were  despatched 
by  the  Scottish  Missionary  Society  to  Russia,  to  preach 
the  Gospel  of  Jesus  in  Tartary.  They  received  cordial 
encouragement  from  the  government,  proceeded  to  As- 
tracan,  and  thence  to  Karass,  a  Tartar  village,  at  the 
foot  of  the  Caucasian  mountains,  a  few  days'  journey 
from  the  Persian,  Bokharian,  and  Turkish  frontiers,  and 
nearly  equidistant  from  the  Black  and  Caspian  Seas. — 
There  they  settled  in  the  vicinity  of  the  predatory  hordes ; 
but  Brunton  alone  remained  at  that  spot,  where  he  was, 
however,  assisted  in  this  work  by  five  more  of  his  coun- 
trymen, mostly  artisans.  Here  they  translated  the  new 
Testament  into  Tartar  and  printed  it  thersselves  ;  and 
purchased  captive  children  and  instructed  them  in  the 
Tartar  and  English  languages.  They  were  several  times 
obliged  to  leave  Karass  and  seek  refuge  in  the  fortified 
town  of  Georgiewsk,  about  thirty  miles  distant,  or  in  the 
Russian  castle  of  Constantinogorski.  Sometimes  it  was 
the  plague  which  drove  them  away,  at  others  hostile  incur- 
sions  of  the  Tartars,  against  which  neither  the  ramparts 
and  palisades  of  their  settlement,  nor  the  protection  of 
Russian  Cossacks,  were  a  sufficient  defence.  Undaunted 
by  these  annoyances  they  nevertheless  returned  invariably 
to  their  former  residence,  where  d welt  besides  them  about 
thirty  German  families  and  some  baptized  Tcherkesset 
-and  Tartars.  A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Leipzig,  the 
Emperor  Alexander  secured  to  them  all  more  effectual 
protection  for  the  future,  by  a  Ukase  addressed  to  fht 
.&* 


5£  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

commander-in-chief  in  Georgia.  Agreeably  to  bis  wishes 
also,  two  of  the  missionaries,  John  Mitchell  and  Charles 
Frazer,  repaired  to  Orenburg,  to  found  a  new  settlement 
on  the  Ural,  for  the  conversion  ot  the  nomadic  Tartars 
and  Muhamedans.  It  appears,  however,  from  the  last 
reports  of  the  Scottish  Missionary  Society,  that  its  direct* 
ors  have  relinquished  the  mission  in  Astracan,  and  are  in 
negotiation  for  the  transfer  of  the  colony  ot  Karass  to  the 
Basle  Evangelical  Society,  which  is  anxious  to  have  such 
an  establishment  for  the  basis  of  its  missionary  operations 
in  the  Russian  empire. 

All  these  and  other  efforts  for  the  civilization  and  pro- 
pagation of  Christianity  in  Asiatic  Russia  proceed  but 
slowly,  and  in  continual  warfare  witn  the  impediments 
thrown  in  their  way  by  the  nature  of  the  climate  and  the 
people.  Even  the  old  establishments  of  the  United 
Brethren  on  the  Sarpa,  where,  in  the  year  1765,  they 
founded  Sarepta,  have  produced  much  less  fruit  than  was 
at  first  expected.  The  Europeans  who  have  been  removed 
thither,  vanquished  by  the  climate,  at  length  become 
more  like  Asiatics  in  habits  and  manners  than  the  Asiatics 
like  Europeans.  The  destruction  of  Sarepta,  by  fire, 
in  1812,  proved  a  great  check  to  the  then  commencing 
prosperity  of  the  colony. 

The  missionaries  had  already  begun  to  despair  of  being 
able  ever  to  gain  over  the  Calmuck  hordes  to  the  Gospel. 
The  congregation  of  the  Brethren  at  Astracan,  where 
they  had  also  instituted  a  school  expressly  for  Calmuck 
children,  did  not  however  relinquish  the  pious  design; 
and,  in  the  spring  of  1815,  two  missionaries,  Gottfried 
Schill  and  Christian  ilubner,  again  proceeded  from  Sarepta 
to  the  steppes  of  the  Calmucks. 

Astracan,  a  considerable  town,  with  seventy  thousand 
inhabitants,  situated  on  an  island  at  the  mouths  of  the 
Wolga,  was  selected  by  the  Moravian  brethren  on  account 
of  its  peculiar  position  for  the  centre  of  their  missions  ; 
because  it  affords  greater  facilities  than  any  other  place 
lor  operations  in  Siberia,  Tartary,  Persia,  and  Turkey, 
from  which  countries  travellers  of  all  classes  are  continue 
ally  arriving  at  Astracan.  Little,  however,  has  been 
hitherto  achieved.    In  1815  the  Edinburgh  Missionary  £fo 


SIBEHIA    AND   THE    RUSSIAN   STATED-  65 

ciety  sent  two  of  their  most  zealous  colleagues  to  renew 
the  work  of  conversion.  The  rudeness  of  the  climate, 
country,  and  inhabitants,  and  their  dispersed  state  and 
wandering  life  have  proved  permanent  obstructions  to  all 
these  philanthropic  undertakings. 

INearly  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  numerous  settle* 
merits  of  Europeans  along  the  banks  of  the  Kuma  and  its 
tributary  streams,  in  the  Caucasian  countries,  founded 
since  1781  by  emigrants  from  Germany,  France,  the  Ne- 
therlands, and  Switzerland.  These  settlements  at  present 
amount  to  fifty  three  ;  and  there  are  upwards  of  one  hun- 
dred more,  likewise  inhabited  by  Europeans,  in  the  plains 
b<  rdering  on  the  Wolga.  The  latter  were  established 
alter  the  seven  years'  war  ;  and  they  have  since  increased 
amazingly  in  population,  in  spite  of  the  unfavourable  na- 
ture of  soil  and  climate  For,  in  these  dreary  plains, 
where  neither  wood,  nor  mountain,  nor  hill,  is  to  be  seen 
for  a  great  distance  round — where  horse  and  cow-dung  are 
the  only  sort  of  fuel  that  can  be  procured — where  the  few 
#uit  trees  that  have  been  introduced  are  destroyed  by  the 
frost  in  winter,  while  the  heat  of  summer  is  frequently 
suffocating— in  these  parts  dwell,  nevertheless,  about 
fifty  thousand  families  of  European  emigrants,  or  their 
descendants,  who,  indeed,  can  all  support  themselves  by 
the  crops  which  they  rear,  but  have  no  prospect  of  ever 
attaining  a  higher  degree  of  prosperity. 

Since  the  year  1  Bio,  Irkutzk,  in  the  interior  of  Siberia, 
has  been  a  new  point  for  the  benevolent  missionary  institu- 
tions of  England.  This  town  may  be  considered  as  the 
staple  of  the  traffic  between  Russia  and  China,  and  it 
is  still  in  a  great  measure  inhabited  by  professors  of 
Lamaism.  Greek  Christians,  however,  and  many  Muha- 
medans,  also  reside  there.  Of  the  neighbouring  tribes, 
the  Buraits,  of  Mongol  extraction,  and  resembling  the 
Calmucks  in  their  language,  are  the  most  considerable, 
or  perhaps  rather  the  Mantchoo  Tartars,  but  these  are 
under  Chinese,  not  Russian  dominion. 

Three  missionaries  of  the  London  Missionary  Society 
have  been  some  years  stationed  at  Selinginsk,  about  160 
miles  from  Irkutzk,  where  the  Emperor  Alexander,  at  the 
instance  of  Prince  Galitzin,  granted  to  the  mission  a  plot 


56  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

of  land  of  112  acres,  and  71MJ0  rubles  for  defraying  the 
expense  of  buildings.  A  printing  press  has  been  esta- 
blished there  for  printing  in  Mongolian  a  trasiation  oi  the 
Bible,  preparing  by  the  missionaries  at  the  expense  ot  the 
Bible  Society  of  Petersburg.  One  of  them  is  employed 
Upon  a  Mongolian  dictionary  and  grammar;  and  they 
have  opened  schools  for  the  children  oi  either  sex. 

From  this  station  the  missionaries  i.ave  performed  seve 
ral  journeys  into  the  country  of  the  (Jhonnsky  Buraits, 
and  extended  their  excursions  beyond  the  JSertschinsk 
mountains,  considerably  to  the  eastward  of  Sehnginsk, 
and  the  extremity  in  that  direction  of  the  region  inhabited 
by  the  Buraits.  From  their  report  ol  the  state  of  these 
people  we  learn,  that  it  is  in  some  important  respects 
more  favourable  for  missionary  exertions  than  that  ot  the 
tribes  scattered  round  Selinginsk.  JSot  only  is  the  amount 
of  the  population  of  the  former  greater  than  that  of  the 
latter,  but  the  proportion  of  temples  and  lamas  is  consi- 
derably less.  Many  of  the  Chormskys  are,  moreover, 
fluctuating  between  two  rival  superstitions.  Shamanism, 
the  less  objectionable  of  the  two,  appears  to  be  on  the 
decline,  and  many  of  the  Buraits  have  renounced  it  in 
favour  of  Dalai-La maism.  The  lamas  ol  the  latter  sect 
are  employing  all  their  influence  to  destroy  Shamanism  ; 
and  some  of  their  missionaries  have  been  carried  by  their 
zeal  to  the  unlettered  tribes  in  the  neighbourhood  ol" 
Irkutzk,  where  they  are  erecting  temples,  and  endeavour- 
ing to  prepare  the  way  for  the  introduction  ot  their  religion 
in  regions  where  it  has  been  hitherto  unknown.  It  is 
confidently  hoped  that  the  mental  excitement  thus  pro- 
duced may  ultimately  prove  favourable  to  the  cause  of 
Christianity  in  this  quarter. 

The  extensive  district  round  Nertchinsk  is  inhabited  by 
the  Tungusians,  a  people  who  have  no  written  language  of 
their  own.  Their  intercourse  with  their  neighbours,  the 
Chorinsky  Buraits,  has  however  proved  the  means  of  sup- 
plying in  some  measure  this  deficiency.  The  BuraiU 
have  from  time  to  time  introduced  among  the  Tungusians 
hooks  relating  to  their  superstitions,  written  in  the  Mon- 
golian language,  which  the  latter  are  at  length  able  U» 
read  and  understand.     Thus  has  an  opening  been  made 


SIBEUIA    AND    THE    RUSSIAN    STATES.  57 

by  the  Buraits  themselves  for  the  dissemination  of  the 
Christian  faith  among  the  Tungusians,  who  will  now  be 
capahle  of  reading  the  copies  of  ihe  Mongolian  Scrip- 
tures circulated  among  that  tribe,  which  otherwise,  from 
their  ignorance  of  letters,  would  have  been  to  them  a 
sealed  book. 

The  culture  of  Asiatic  Russia  is  in  truth  impracticable, 
unless  attempted  by  the  industry  of  European  hands.  So 
long  as  the  unsettled  spirit  of  the  original  inhabitants  is 
not  tamed  by  schools  and  refined  by  Christianity,  an  inti- 
mate intermixture  of  the  scttiers  and  barharians  is  totally 
impracticable.  Separated  Irom  one  another,  the  same 
kind  of  enmity  will  continue  to  prevail  between  them  as 
between  the  European  colonies  and  the  independent 
savages  in  America.  Diversity  of  religions  is  a  much 
greater  impediment  to  the  union  of  nations  than  diversity 
of  languages  ;  since  it  is  easier  for  men  to  exchange  their 
language  lor  another,  than  their  conviction'  or  dispo- 
sition. 

The  civi'ization  of  the  Asiatic  nations  subject  to  the 
Russian  sceptre  will  be  more  readily  begun  and  accom- 
plished in  the  milder  regions  than  in  the  more  inclement 
northern  provinces,  where  man,  oppressed  with  cares  on 
account  of  the  prime  necessaries  of  life,  has  scarcely 
leisure  or  inclination  for  the  more  noble  employments  of 
thought ;  where  the  parsimony  of  Nature  obliges  him  to 
remain  solitary  in  extensive  tracts  of  country,  and  forces 
him  to  choose  a  kind  of  life,  which,  from  its  simplicity  or 
savageness,  is  completely  opposed  to  a  high  degree  of 
social  cultivation  ;  where  the  paucity  of  pleasures  and  oc- 
cupations is  productive  of  paucity  of  ideas  and  concep- 
tions ;  and  where  the  mind  shares  that  chill  and  torpor 
which  frigid  Nature  throws  over  those  vast  wilds,  in  which 
the  horns  and  skeletons  of  an  extinct  gigantic  animal 
worid,  of  mammoths  and  rhinoceroses,  or  the  yard-long 
claws  of  a  prodigious  bird,  which  reminds  us  of  the  kaph 
of  eastern  fable,  are  still  found  undecayed, 


OS  SURVEY    OP  CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ATTEMPTS  OF  THE  JESUITS  AND  CAPUCHINS  IN  TIBET— 
RESEMBLANCE  OF  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  SYSTEM  OF 
LAMA1SM  TO  THAT  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  AND  GREEK 
CHURCHES. 

As  we  approach  more  temperate  climes,  man  becomes 
more  susceptible  of  sublimer  conceptions  and  milder  sen- 
timents, and  more  disposed  to  an  industrious,  tranquil,  and 
social  life.  Such  we  find  him  in  the  elevated  valleys  of 
the  Tibetian  Highlands,  where  we  meet  with  a  gentleness 
of  manners,  a  social  amenity,  and  a  diversity  of  occupa- 
tions, which  remind  us  of  European  civilization. 

Notwithstanding  the  observations  of  more  recent  tra- 
vellers, of  a  Turner,  a  Crawford,  and  others,  we  are  still 
very  imperfectly  acquainted  with  the  extensive  and  won- 
derful Tibet,  that  Switzerland  of  Asia.  In  this  labyrinth 
of  mountains,  the  summits  of  which  glisten  with  everlast- 
ing ice  and  snow,  while  grapes,  almonds,  ami  peaches, 
ripen  in  the  warmer  valleys,  the  hostile  nature's  Of  the  north 
and  south  of  Asia  are  reconciled  and  wedded.  Here  the 
sable  and  the  bear  frequent  the  elevated  wilds,  and  the  lion 
and  the  ape  haunt  the  lowland  forests.  Many  species  of 
plants  and  animals  are  peculiar  to  this  region  alone,  as  the 
gigantic  dog,  and  that  sort  of  goat,  the  fine  wool  of  which 
furnishes  the  material  for  those  shawls  that  are  in  such 
high  request.  The  loftiest  peaks  of  fne  Alps  of  Tibet  far 
surpass  in  height  our  European  Mont  Blanc,  and  the 
craggy  top  of  the  bold  Himalaya,  and  likewise  that  of  the 
Dhawalagiri,  are  said  to  tower  more  than  twenty-six 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Indian  Ocean.  Agri- 
culture, pastoral  occupations,  and  mining,  employ  the  ma- 
jority of  the  inhabitants.  There  is  no  want  of  artists,  and 
artisans,  or  of  elementary  and  high  schools  and  there 
are  two  written  languages,  one  of  which  is  appropriated  to 
the  purposes  of  civil  life  and  the  other  to  religious  matters. 

Every  thing  here  is  divided  into  civil  and  ecclesiastical, 
and  so  is  the  whole  nation,  both  males  and  females.    The 


TIBET.  89 

one  part  is  engaged  in  an  earthly,  the  other  in  a  heavenly 
traffic;  the  former  labours  for  the  latier,  and  the  latter 
fasts  and  prays  tor  the  former.  Here  is  the  chief  seat  and 
centre  of  that  Lamaism,  which  reigns  from  the  hanks  of 
the  Wolga  to  Japan  and  the  snowy  mountains  of  Corea, 
and  which,  next  to  the  Muhamedan  and  Christian,  is  the 
most  widely  extended  religion  of  any  among  the  nations  of 
the  earth. 

In  tiie  eyes  of  the  philosopher  who  considers  the  differ- 
ent forms  of  the  various  religions  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
globe,  any  of  these  religions  acquires  superior  consequence 
by  its  extensive  diffusion  To  us,  however,  Lamaism  is 
less  remarkable  for  its  creed  than  for  its  ceremonies.  The 
former  is  founded  on  the  oriental  primitive  idea  of  a  Su- 
preme B«ing,  Burchan,  represented  single  or  in  myste- 
rious trinity  ;  ruling  over  a  spiritual  world  which  sprang 
from  himself;  obstinately  opposed  by  an  evil  principle; 
becoming  man  to  reveal  himself  to  mortals,  by  means  of 
a  power  which  emanated  from  him — word  of  God,  light 
of  God,  son  of  God — the  Budh  and  Schaka  of  Japan, 
the  Fohi  of  China,  the  Buddha  of  Hindoostan,  the  Gaudma 
of  the  Birmans,  &c.  The  Son  of  God  of  the  Tibetians 
is  named  Mahamoony,  also  Schaka  ;  he  was  born  of  a 
virgin  in  the  country  of  Cachemir,  and  came  into  the 
world,  according  to  the  Tibetian  chronology,  about  a 
thousand  years  earlier  than  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  the  prin- 
cipal object  of  divine  worship.  We  meet  with  nearly 
the  same  fundamental  idea  in  most  of  the  religions  of 
the  warmer  regions  of  Asia,  and  also  with  an  incarnate 
God,  God-man,  demi-god,  wonder-working  prophet,  &e. 
who  has  revealed  whatever  is  most  sacred  to  mankind. 

But,  as  we  have  already  observed,  the  religious  ceremo- 
nies of  the  Tibetians  are  to  us  more  remarkable  than  their 
creed  ;  for  it  would  appear  that  the  oriental  religious  pri- 
mitive idea  had  here  assumed  the  dress  of  the  Christian 
church.  Their  doctrines  concerning  God  and  his  Mes- 
siah, the  devil  and  hell,  the  Trinity,  and  the  like,  are  of 
themselves  sufficiently  striking  ;  but  still  more  so  their 
belief  in  purgatory,  their  prayers  for  the  souls  of  the  de- 
ceased, their  use  of  the  rosary,  of  holy  water,  of  extreme 
'inction,  and  many  other'practices,  which  remind  us  of  the 


QQ  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

tenets  and  ceremonies  of  the  Greek  and  Catholic 
churches.  Among  the  Tibetians,  as  among  the  Catholics, 
all  are  either  laymen  or  priests.  The  latter  are  distin- 
guished from  the  former  by  their  dress.  They  have  con- 
vents of  monks  and  nuns  in  all  the  valleys  and  on  all  the 
hills.  Boys  at  the  early  age  of  eight  years  are  admitted 
into  the  monasteries,  and  called  during  their  noviciate 
Tuppas  ;  at  fifteen  they  become  Tohbas,  and  at  twenty 
complete  monks  or  Gylongs,  who,  bound  by  rigid  rules 
and  by  inviolable  vows  of  abstinence  and  chastity,  devote 
their  lives  to  exercises  of  devotion.  The  convents  of  the 
Gylongs  have  Lamas  or  abbots,  and  from  them  the  pro- 
gressive gradations  of  the  hierarchy  ascend  to  the  high 
ILutuchtes  or  Trbetian  cardinals.  The  supreme  head  in 
spirituals  and  temporals,  the  vicegerent  of  God  upon 
earth,  the  holy  father  and  chief  of  the  high  priests,  is  the 
Dalai  Lama  or  Teshoo  Lama. 

The  hierarchy  of  Tibet  is,  if  possible,  more  perfectly 
or  consequently  constituted  than  the  Catholic  church 
among  the  European  Christians  The  Tibetian  cardinals, 
it  is  true,  on  the  death  of  a  high  priest  or  divine  vice- 
gerent, elect  a  new  one,  but  this  is  always  an  infant,  born 
in  the  very  hour  or  at  least  on  the  day  of  the  decease  of 
his  predecessor,  in  whom,  according  to  their  doctrine, 
the  spirit  of  the  late  Lama  is  anew  embodied.  Thus,  as 
they  believe,  the  founder  of  their  religion  and  the  vicegerent 
of  the  Supreme  Being  on  earth  remains  one  and  the 
same.  His  soul  never  alters  but  continues  immortal  and 
immaculate,  merely  changing  its  mortal  envelope,  and 
hence  he  is  styled  Lama  Kacku,  that  is,  the  eternal  as 
well  as  holy  Father  of  all  the  Faithful. 

The  Lama  religion,  however,  is  split  into  sects  as  well  as 
the  Christian,  nor  has  it  been  without  ifrs  religious  wars 
like  the  latter.  But  the  ancient  history  of  this  country  is 
still  involved  in  too  profound  obscurity  ;  perhaps  we  may 
some  day  learn  more  from  their  sacred  writings  which  they 
still  keep  to  themselves.  The  sect  of  the  Shemmers, 
which  is  externally  distinguished  by  high  pointed  red  caps, 
is  said  to  have  been  formerly  the  predominant;  but  that 
of  the  Gyllupkas,  who  wear  yellow  caps,  has  since  become 
more  powerful.     The  Shcmmors  are  still  the  ruling  party 


TIBET.  6  i 

n  ihc  southern  province  of  the  Highlands  in  Bootan  ;  the* 
have  three  Grand  Lamas.  The  Gyllupkas,  who  occupy 
the  northern  part  of  the  country,  or  Tibet  proper,  have 
also  three  chief  Lamas — the  Dalai-Lama  at  Lassa  and 
Putala  ;  the  Teshoo-Lama  at  Teshoo-Lumba  ;  and  the 
Jernaut-Lama  at  Khorka. 

The  disposition  of  the  people  of  Tibet  is  grave  and 
pious  ;  their  manners  are  gentle  and  more  consonant  with 
nature  than  those  of  the  refined  Europeans.  If,  never- 
theless, a  female  when  she  marries  becomes  at  the  same 
time  the  wife  of  all  her  husband's  brothers,  let  it  not  be 
forgotten  that  there  might  have  been  in  ancient  times  some 
particular  occasion  for  this  peculiar  custom,  to  which  the 
Jewish  patriarchs  themselves  were  not  absolute  strangers, 
and  that  it  did  not  originate  in  licentiousness  but  was  en 
joined  by  the  laws.  If  the  convents  of  the  monks  as  well 
as  those  of  the  nuns  appear  too  numerous,  and  each  of 
them  to  contain  too  many  inmates — in  the  convent  of 
Teshoo-Lumba,  for  instance,  Turner  reckoned  three  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  Gylongs  for  the  performance  of  the 
daily  service — let  us  recollect  Rome  and  Spain,  and  the 
state  of  Catholic  Germany  and  France  thirty  or  forty  years 
ago.  If,  besides  worshipping  God,  the  people  of  Tibet 
reverence  their  pope  or  Grand  Lama  as  a  demi-god,  and 
a  whole  series  of  inferior  spirits,  let  us  not  judge  toe 
harshly  of  them,  bearing  in  mind  that  the  superior  beings 
to  whom,  as  approaching  nearer  to  the  Supreme,  they  pa\ 
his  reverence,  merely  occupy  the  places  of  those  saints  to 
whom,  among  us  Europeans,  shrines  and  altars  are  erected. 

Any  attempt  to  convert  to  Christianity  a  people  with 
a  church  constitution  so  firmly  established  would  be  the 
snore  hazardous,  the  more  closely  its  rights  and  doctrines 
resemble  the  Catholic,  and  the  more  intimately  its  political 
constitution  is  connected  with  the  ecclesiastical.  Catho- 
lic missionaries  could  not  fail  to  be  just  as  unwelcome  in 
Tibet,  as  Tibetian  Gylongs  or  Protestant  preachers,  who 
should  repair  to  Rome  to  commence  the  work  of  conver 
sion  among  the  Catholics  at  the  foot  of  the  Vatican. 

In  spite  of  this  inconsistency,  the  Jesuits,  and  after  them 
the  Capuchins,  were  not  deterred  from  journeying  hither, 
andin  the  character  of  Lama-Gokhars,  or  European  priests. 

6 


t>2  SURVEY   OF   CIMISTIANrrr. 

proclaiming  the  crucified  Jesus.  So  early  as  about  the 
year  1624,  Antonio  Andrada,  the  Jesuit,  preached  in  Ti- 
bet, and  he  was  followed  by  others  of  his  order  ;  but  they 
had  very  little  success,  and  perhaps  were  not  seriously  in- 
tent on  accomplishing  the  object  which  they  professed  to 
have  in  view.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  their  chief 
aim  was  to  profit  by  the  establishment  of  a  commercial 
intercourse.  Hereby  they  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  go- 
vernment, and  were  sent  out  of  the  country  as  smugglers  of 
contraband  commodities.  In  1 707,  some  Capuchins  ar- 
rived at  Lassa.  The  unsuspecting  Dalai-Lama  granted 
them  hospitable  permission  to  settle  in  his  dominions,  but 
in  the  ordinance  which  he  issued  on  this  subject  he  ex- 
pressly excluded  the  trading  ecclesiastics  of  the  Europeans 
from  the  enjoyment  of  this  privilege,  allowed  the  Capuchins 
to  reside  at  Lassa,  so  long  as  they  should  conduct  them- 
selves according  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  and  commanded 
his  subjects  to  treat  them  courteously.  In  this  document 
no  mention  is  made  of  the  preaching  of  a  new  religion. 
The  reverend  fathers  wisely  took  good  care  not  to  awaken 
the  slightest  suspicion  of  this  intention. 

Francisco  Horatio  della  Penna  di  Billi  was  at  their 
head.  Their  first  study  was  to  acquire  the  language  of 
the  country  :  they  sent  the  Tibet  alphabet  to  Rome,  where 
types  were  cast  from  it,  and  then  all  the  materials  for  print- 
ing, accompanied  by  twelve  Capuchins,  were  despatched 
from  Rome  to  Lassa  :  for,  the  ordinary  mode  of  printing 
in  Tibet  by  cutting  out  the  letters  on  wooden  tablets  was 
too  slow  a  process. 

The  Capuchins  actually  maintained  themselves  in  their 
hospice  at  Lassa  for  a  whole  century  ;  they  even  founded 
another  at  Takpodshini,  in  the  country  of  Takpoor  Boo- 
tan,  and  conducted  themselves  with  great  prudence  during 
the  storms  of  civil  and  religious  wars:  but  nothing  has 
been  heard  of  them  for  a  long  time,  nor  have  we  any 
information  respecting  the  effects  of  their  mission  for  the 
propagation  of  Christianty. 

It  is  a  subject  of  just  regret  that,  in  mo,  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Schroter,  a  missionary  stationed  at  Titalya,  in  the  Presi- 
dency of  Calcutta,  was  removed  by  death,  while  assidu- 
usly  qualifying  himself  for  the  arduous  work  on  which  no 


JAPAN.  bo 

one  had  entered  before  him — the  preparation  of  the  Scrip 
tures  for  the  inhabitants  of  this  extensive  region. 

In  countries,  the  people  of  which  have  attained  a  cer- 
tain degree  of  civilization,  and  consider  every  foreigner  a? 
less  enlightened  than  themselves,   because   he  is  neithet 
sufficiently  conversant  with  the  language  to  display  the 
store  of  his  ideas,  nor  possesses  knowledge  enough  to  be 
acquainted  with  those  of  the  natives,  the  duty  of  the  Chris- 
tian   missionary  is  infinitely  more  arduous  than   among 
demi-savages,  in  whom  the  European  is  enabled  by  the  su- 
periority of  his  intelligence  to  excite  admiration,  confi 
dence,  and  respect.     Even  the  most  ingenious  of  the  apos 
ties  who  could  be  sent  thither  from  Europe  would  find  it  a 
most  difficult  task  :  lor  after  they  had  acquired  a  complete 
knowledge  of  the    language,  institutions,  and   manners, 
they  would  have  to  encounter  a  host  of  prejudices,  which 
are  infinitely  more  numerous  among  nations  more  or  lest- 
polished  than  among  the  wholly  uncivilized,  and  the  mort 
firmly  rooted,  the  more  venerable  they  have  become  from 
their  antiquity  or  the  protection  of  existing  institutions. 
The  nations  of  Europe,  with  all  their  polish,  are  still  rich 
in  venerable  prejudices,  and  it  would  not  be  advisable  for 
a  missionary  of  sound  human  reason  to  set  about  the  work 
of  conversion  among  us. 


CHAPTER  V. 

RELIGIONS    IN    JAPAN SEVERITY   TOWARDS    Tilt 

CHRISTIANS. 

From  the  preceding  remarks  it  may  be  easily  inferred 
why  the  labours  of  Christian  missionaries,  after  the  eti'orte 
of  a  century,  proved  far  less  successful,  not  only  in  Tibet, 
but  also  in  Japan  and  China,  than  among  more  savage  and 
ignorant  nations. 

The  Romish  church,  indeed,  found  means  in  the  early 
v>art  of  the  seventeenth  century  to  establish  missions  in 


64  SURVEY   OF   CHHI3TIANITT. 

Japan,  but  they  were  not  of  long  duration.  They  were  soo/ 
suppressed  as  inimical  to  public  order  and  to  the  estab- 
lished and  only  true  faith.  |  The  Japanese  empire,  cut  ofT 
from  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  having  all   its  wants,  re- 
sources, and  objects,  confined  to  itself,  displays  in  many 
points    a"  perfection  of  civil  institutions,  resembling  and 
often  superior  to  that  of  the  European.     A  distinct  line  is 
drawn  between  the  spiritual  and  temporal  authority.     At 
the  head  of  each  is  a  particular  prince,  whom   we  should 
style  emperor  and  pope.     The  dignity  of  both  is  heredi- 
tary.    The  ecclesiastical  constitution  of  the  Japanese  is 
as  precisely  regulated  as  the  civil  ;  and  all  the  crude  ab 
surdities  formerly  circulated  on  this  subject,  through  the 
ignorance  and  misconceptions  of  the  missionaries,  scarcely 
deserve   refutation.      We  learn  from  Kampfer  that  the 
primitive  religious  idea,  which  was  the  groundwork  of  the 
religions  prevailing  about  the  Indus  and  Ganges,  in  the 
mountains  of  Tibet,  and  throughout  all  farther  India,  ob 
tains  also  in  Japan.     It  is  possible  that  the  most  ancient 
religion  of  the  country  may  be  a  wretched  Shamanism, 
to  which  the  vulgar  are  attached  ;  but  notions  infinitely 
more  sublime  have  been  introduced  from  China  ;  and  it  is 
well  known  thav  the  Japanese  sect  of  the  Siuttos,  who  are 
exempt  from  every  species  of  idolatry  or  image-worship, 
profess  a  faith  coinciding  with  the  eternal  truths  of  reason, 
and  worthy  of  the  respect  even  of  enlightened  men.     That 
the  Japanese  priests  are  more  intent  on  temporal  enjoy- 
ments than  sanctity  of  life  and  the  moral  improvement  of 
the  people  ;  that  these  superstitious  islanders  perform  pil- 
grimages with  great  devotion  to  consecrated  places  ;  that 
they  have  numerous  convents  under  rigid  rules — these  and 
many  similar  reproaches  levelled   against  the  inhabitants 
of  the  extremity  of  Asia  come  with  a  very  bad  grace  from 
the  lips  of  Europeans. 

After  the  expulsion  of  the  Christian  missionaries  in  the 
latter  half  of  the  seventeenth  century,  it  was  not  till  the 
year  1715,  that  the  zeal  and  piety  of  the  Abbe'  Guidotti 
decided  him  to  renew  the  attempt  to  preach  Christianity 
in  Japan.  He  regarded  himself  as  the  instrument  chosei- 
by  God  for  this  purpose.  Men  who  feel  not  in  their  bo- 
3oms  such  a  conviction  ought  to  renounce  all  idea  of  ever 


JAPAN.  65 

commencing  any  great  or  dangerous  enterprise  for  the 
benefit  of  mankind.  We  arc  in  the  dark  respecting  his 
fate.  He  was  followed  by  Jesuits  and  Dominicans  ;  but 
they  too  accomplished  little.  Upon  what  pretexts,  or 
under  what  disguises  soever,  they  introduced  themselves 
into  the  country  by  way  of  China  or  Kamtchatka,  they 
were  always  strictly  watched,  and  the  execution  of  one 
of  their  number,  Guido  de  Angelicis,  a  Dominican,  in 
1748,  proved  the  hatred  borne  to  every  one  who  appeared 
as  a  Christian.  From  the  visits  of  recent  voyagers  to  the 
Japanese  coasts  we  know  how  difficult,  indeed,  we  may 
say  how  impracticable  it  is  for  Europeans  to  penetrate 
into  the  interior  of  the  country,  or  even  to  engage  in  any 
pursuit  there  without  being  jealously  watched  :  nay,  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  introduce  into  Japan  any  books  which 
merely  have  a  reference  to  Christianity  ;  for  every  stranger 
the  moment  lie  sets  foot  on  the  soil  of  Japan,  is  searched 
in  the  strictest  mariner,  and  all  his  papers  are  carefullv 
examined.  If  the  slightest  allusion  to  Christianity  is  dis- 
covered, he  is,  according  to  the  existing  laws,  banished 
the  country.  Houses  too  are  often  searched  by  the  offi- 
cers of  government,  and  if  they  find  in  any  of  them  a  scrap 
of  paper  upon  which  Christianity  is  mentioned  or  a  cross 
figured,  the  house  is  razed  to  the  ground  and  its  inhabit- 
ants are  doomed  to  death.  Such  are  the  accounts  given 
by  the  Japanese  resident  at  Batavia.  Hence  it  is  scarcely 
credible  that  the  Christian  religion  should  make  such  rapid 
progress  there,  and  that  even  the  Emperor  himself  should 
be  disposed  to  embrace  it,  as  the  Romish  missionaries 
have  too  hastily  or  boastingly  asserted  in  their  report- 
transmitted  to  Europe  by  way  of  China. 


6* 


66  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANIT*. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


STATE    OF    THE    CHRISTIAN    CONGREGATIONS    IN    THE  CHI- 
NESE   EMPIRE DISSENSIONS   AMONG   THE   MISSIONARIES. 

Better  hopes  dawned  in  China.  The  moral  culture 
of  the  inhabitants  of  that  immense  empire  is  loo  far  ad- 
vanced not  to  favour  a  more  enlightened  faith,  which 
has  already  begun  to  take  root  amid  the  incessant  popular 
fermentations,  civil  and  religious.  Shackling  and  para- 
lyzing as  the  ceremonial  enforced  in  the  civil  relations  of 
the  Chinese  may  be,  and  oppressively  as  authority  may 
be  exercised  from  the  throne  downward  ;  the  empire  is 
of  too  vast  extent,  the  population  of  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  millions  of  souls — according  to  the  statements 
of  Staunton  and  Barrow,  three  hundred  and  thirty-three 
millions — too  large  ;  the  inhabitants  composed  of  too 
many  different  nations — Chinese,  Mongols,  Tartars,  In- 
dian Lolos,  and  savage  Miaos  in  the  mountains — for  the 
whole  to  be  imbued  and  held  together  by  the  spirit  and 
will  of  a  single  individual,  the  emperor,  or  of  his  court. 
What  power  would  for  any  length  of  time  bind  and  con- 
trol the  spirit  of  all  Europe,  if  this  portion  of  the  globe, 
with  its  inhabitants,  that  is  to  say,  with  about  one  hundred 
and  eighty  millions  of  souls,  were  delivered  into  the  hands 
of  a  single  ruler  ? 

By  the  diversity  of  the  religions  prevailing  or  tolerated 
here,  a  fermentation  of  ideas  is  imperceptibly  but  power 
fully  promoted  :  for,  besides  the  sublime  belief  in  the  One 
God  taught  by  Confutse,  and  the  Chinese  priests,  called 
Lao-Kiuns,  we  find  professors  of  Lamaism,  bonzes  and 
worshippers  of  Fo,  Muhamedans,  Jews,  who  emigrated 
hither  in  the  first  centuries  after  the  destruction  of  Jeru- 
salem, common  pagans,  and  adorers  of  the  heavenly  bodies, 
and  even  Jukiaos,  or  Atheists,  who  inculcate  merely  lessons 
of  virtue.  At  the  same  time  religious  fanaticism  is  not 
rare  ;  and  by  means  of  it,  so  lately  as  the  year  1815,  the 
Emperor  Vantadshin  was  precipitated  from  the  throne.. 


CHINA.  67 

Most  of  the  civil  commotions  which  for  many  yeare 
past  have  agitated  and  convulsed  China  originated  in  reli- 
gious motives  or  pretexts.  Setting  aside  the  insurrection 
against  the  reigning  dynasty  of  the  race  of  the  Mantchoo 
Tartars,  (perhaps  excited  by  the  descendants  of  ihe  family 
of  the  Mings,  dethroned  by  the  invaders  in  the  seventeenth 
century),  others  have  already  broken  out  or  are  preparing 
in  all  parts.  The  islands  of  Formosa  and  Haynan,  and 
the  coasts  of  Tunkin  and  Cochin-China,  have  already 
shaken  off"  in  some  measure  the  imperial  authority.  In 
the  north,  the  Pelin-Kin,  that  is,  enemies  of  foreign  reli- 
gions, are  stirring  ;  in  the  west  and  south  the  fanatic  Ke- 
dufis  (religious  assassins)  as  they  are  styled  by  the  govern- 
ment— men,  who  sword  in  hand  preached  Thian-Thee- 
Ohc,  which  signifies  literally  "  Heaven  and  Earth  one  !" 
implying  fraternal  equality  of  all  men  and  community  of 
property,  an. I  who  had  in  1804  filled  nine  provinces  with 
their  wild  doctrines,  (n  other  quarters  the  "  Society  of  the 
Three  Powers' " — Heaven,  Earth,  and  Man — carries  on 
its  seditious  practices,  in  which,  under  pretence  of  pro- 
tecting innocence  and  avenging  injustice,  it  puts  to  death 
even  persons  invested  with  magisterial  authority. 

If  the  Christian  religion  has  not  made  greater  progress 
among  the  people  of  China,  where  it  has  now  been 
preached  for  some  centuries,  the  chief  fault  has  lain  in 
ihe  conduct  of  the  missionaries,  or  in  the  spirit,  not  of  the 
Christian  religion,  but  of  that  religion  which  they  taught. 
So  far  back  as  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Francis 
Xavier,  the  apostle  of  Hindoostan,  carried  thither  disci- 
ples of  Loyola,  among  whom  Matteo  R,icci  secured  the 
favour  of  the  then  reigning  emperor  by  his  own  mathe- 
matical acquirements  and  those  of  his  colleagues,  to  such 
a  degree  that  the  Christians  were  allowed  the  free  exer- 
cise of  their  religion.  Soon  afterwards,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  seventeenth  century,  Dominicans,  Francis- 
cans, and  Capuchins,  came  to  assist  the  Jesuits  in  the 
work  of  conversion. 

It  is  well  known  how  the  members  of  the  different  mo- 
nastic orders  of  Christendom  transplanted  their  jealousy 
and  enmity  from  Europe  to  the  soil  of  China,  and  thus 
injured  each  other  and  the  sacred  cause  in  which  they 


68  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

were  engaged.  Because  the  more  prudent  Jesuits  felt  no 
scruple  to  call  the  true  God  Thien  and  Chang-ti,  and  per- 
mitted their  converts  to  reverence  the  wise  Confutse  as 
the  other  Chinese  did,  the  Dominicans  and  Franciscans 
inveighed  bitterly  against  them  as  perverters  of  their  holy 
religion.  The  dispute  was  carried  on  many  years  with 
great  asperity  before  the  papal  chair  at  Home,  and  more 
than  one  legate  went  to  China  to  investigate  the  matter 
on  the  spot.  The  victory  which  the  discipies  of  Ignatius 
could  not  gain  over  their  adversaries  at  Rome  they 
achieved,  however,  by  their  influence  at  the  court  of  China. 
The  papal  legate  a  latere,  Charles  Thomas  de  Tournon, 
had  to  endure  a  confinement  of  four  years  in  the  house 
of  the  bishop  of  Macao,  a  Jesuit  ;  nay,  the  terrible  bull 
of  Pope  Clement  XI.  Ex  ilia  die,  (dated  the  19th  of 
March,  17  15,)  proved  impotent  when  hurled  against  the 
majesty  of  the  Chinese  Jesuits  ;  and  Mazabarba,  the  new 
papal  ambassador  to  the  emperor,  had  reason  to  rejoice 
that  Kam-Hi  chose  merely  to  divert  himself  on  the  subject 
of  the  pope,  his  bull,  and  his  religion,  and  to  believe  that 
the  bull  was  directed  solely  against  the  superstition  of 
vulgar  Europeans,  and  not  against  the  sublime  and  vene- 
rable doctrines-  of  the  people  of  the  celestial  empire. 

When,  after  the  death  of  the  tolerant  Kam-Hi,  the  pro- 
pagation of  Christianity  was  prohibited  and  its  profession 
persecuted,  the  hostility  between  the  monks  and  different 
orders  ceased  not  either  in  dungeons  or  places  of  exile  ; 
and  the  milder  sway  of  that  wise  monarch,  Kien-Long, 
only  afforded  a  new  scope  for  theological  dissensions. 
This  quarrel  of  above  a  hundred  years  standing,  about 
Chinese  customs  and  names,  contributed  not  a  little  to 
render  the  missionaries  contemptible  or  odious  ;  hence, 
too,  at  a  later  period,  the  new  persecutions  directed  against 
them  and  all  Christians  in  China  might  be  considered  as 
in  some  degree  the  result  of  this  disharmony,  and  of  the 
complaints  mutually  preferred  by  them  to  the  mandarins 
and  to  the  throne  itself. 

Christianity  has,  nevertheless,  become  widely  diffused  in 
the  provinces  of  China,  and  has  continued  vigorous  in 
spite  of  all  severities.  At  the  death  of  Kam-Hi,  the  Jesuits, 
whom  the  bull  launched  for  their  annihilation  by  Gan- 


CHINA.  GS 

ganelli,  left  unannihilated  in  China,  had  thirty  missionaries 
in  the  capital  itself,  and  in  four  Christian  churches  there 
about  three  hundred  children  and  four  thousand  adults  were 
annually  baptized.  In  the  provinces  of  Kiankieu.  Koeits- 
chu,  Yunnan,  and  Suntcheu,  there  were  large  Christian 
congregations,  convents,  churches,  and  other  religious 
foundations.  The  bishop  of  Cartoria  not  long  since 
stated  the  number  of  adults  baptized  in  one  year,  in  the 
province  of  Fokicn.at  1677,  and  that  of  children  at  10,384, 

Much  reliance,  however,  cannot  be  placed  on  these  and 
other  accounts,  because  we  have  been  accustomed  for 
more  than  a  century  to  receive  much  too  exaggerated  and 
bombastic  reports  from  the  missionaries.  We  know  still 
less  respecting  the  real  spirit  of  the  professors  of  Jesus  in 
China,  than  of  their  actual  number.  Be  it,  nevertheless, 
what  it  may,  it  cannot  at  any  rate  be  other  than  respecta- 
ble, since  it  has  often  been  capable  of  imparting  the  most1 
admirable  courage  and  fortitude  under  the  sufferings  of 
martyrdom,  during  repeated  persecutions  :  for  thousands 
cheerfully  died  the  death  of  confessors,  and  thousands 
more  sacrificed  property, country,  and  temporal  prosperity 
to  their  faith.  These  sacrifices  are  not  made  but  for  such 
convictions  as  kindle  a  divine  flame  in  the  soul. 

The  measures  adopted  by  the  government  for  eradicating 
these  lofty  convictions,  exile,  imprisonment,  and  death, 
are  not  likely  to  accomplish,  but  rather  to  frustrate  their 
object.  Ridicule  is  a  much  more  dangerous  weapon 
when  it  is  dexterously  employed  :  recourse  was  had  to 
this  also  in  China,  arid  even  by  the  government.  The 
Catholic  miaaionaries  furnished  ample  scope  for  it  in  many 
of  the  legends  of  their  saints  ;  and  the  miracles  which 
they  related,  of  St.  Ursula  foF  example,  were  held  forth, 
even  in  imperial  edicts,  to  the  sound  understanding  oi 
the  Chinese  as  evidences  of  the  folly  of  Europeans. 

The  ordinance  against  the  Christians,  dated  the  80th  oi 
January,  1315,  is  still  in  force.  "  How  dare  the  Euro- 
peans"— such  is  the  language  of  this  document— 
•'presume  to  mislead  the  people  of  our  empire  with  their 
silly  tales  ?  Without  our  permission  they  introduce  priests 
and  other  persons,  who  propagate  their  doctrines  in  all 
the  provinces  contrary  to  our  express  laws.     From  this 


70  SURVEY  OF  CHISTIANITY. 

time  forward  the  leaders  of  such  a  band  of  seducers  shall 
be  executed  ;  whoever  spreads  the  religion  of  the  Euro- 
peans, without  giving  cause  for  public  scandal,  shall  be 
imprisoned  ;  and  whoever  embraces  that  religion  shall, 
unless  he  renounce  it,  be  banished  to  He-Lan-Keang. 
Tartars  in  this  predicament  shall  forfeit  their  pay.  Those 
Europeans  at  present  resident  at  Pekin,  who  are  mathema- 
ticians, and  follow  no  other  profession,  are  permitted  to 
pursue  it.  All  others  shall  be  sent  to  Canton,  to  be  des- 
patched to  Europe  by  the  first  opportunity." 

From  this  mandate  it  is  obvious  that  it  was  principally 
directed  against  the  missionaries  from  Europe.  In  regard 
to  the  natives,  it  left  sufficient  scope,  either  for  indulgence 
or  severity,  to  the  discretion  of  the  viceroys  of  the  pro- 
vinces :  hence,  it  was  liable  to  be  executed  in  a  ven 
unequal  manner  in  the  different  parts  of  the  empire. 

The  chief  seat  of  the  French  mission,  to  which  belong 
about  sixty  thousand  Christians,  is  in  the  province  of  Si- 
Tchuen.  At  the  head  of  it  was  Gabriel  Dufresse,  vicar- 
apostolic,  who,  having  returned  from  banishment  to  which 
he  had  been  condemned,  was  executed,  and  his  head 
placed  upon  the  gallows.  Several  Christians  who  mani- 
fested most  zeal  upon  the  occasion,  shared  his  fate.  The 
Europeans  who  were  sent  to  Canton  of  course  described 
these  proceedings  as  "  a  furious  persecution  throughout 
the  whole  empire."  They  related  that  in  1817  still 
greater  severity  began  to  be  shown  in  Pekin,  that  upwards 
of  four  hundred  Catholics  had  been  apprehended  and  put 
to  the  torture,  and  the  like.  According  to  subsequent 
accounts  received  at  Koine,  however,  the  persecution,  as 
it  was  termed,  was  by  no  means  general  or  violent ;  the 
missionaries  in  Fokien  and  Kankieu  had  not  been  mo- 
lested ;  and  the  emperor  had  repealed,  in  favour  of  the 
Jesuits,  the  edicts  previously  issued  against  them  and  the 
other  Christians.  In  the  spring  of  18  17,  twelve  Jesuits 
of  the  recently  restored  order  were  sent  from  Rome  to 
China,  and  in  Pulo  Penang,  or  Prince  of  Wales's  Island, 
has  recently  been  established  a  college,  in  which  about 
Iwenty  students  are  qualifying  themselves  for  the  propa 
gation  of  the  papal  religion  in  that  empire. 

We,  nevertheless,  know  positively  from  Krusenstern'- 


CHINA.  71 

work,  that  the  European  missionaries  at  Canton  are  vigi- 
lantly watched,  and  not  admitted  into  the  interior  of  the 
empire.  The  protestant  missionaries  sent  in  1807  to 
Canton,  by  the  London  Missionary  Society,  were  in  the 
same  predicament.  These  were  the  Rev.  Dr.  William 
Milne  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Robert  Morrison.  To  the  former, 
who  was  afterwards  stationed  at  Malacca,  where  he  died 
in  1822,  we  are  indebted  for  a  highly  interesting  "  Retro- 
spect of  the  First  Ten  years  of  the  Mission  to  China," 
a  volume,  the  historical  merit  of  which  is  perhaps  its  least 
recommendation.  Nearly  fourteen  years  have  elapsed 
since  the  completion  of  Dr.  Morrison's  Chinese  version 
of  the  New  Testament,  several  editions  of  which  have 
been  printed,  and  he  has  executed  jointly  with  Dr. 
Milne  a  version  of  the  Old  Testament  in  the  same  lan- 
guage. By  means  of  his  Chinese  and  English  Diction- 
ary, in  five  quarto  volumes,  executed  under  the  patronage, 
and  printed  at  the  sole  expense  of  the  East  India  Com- 
pany, and  the  Chinese  Grammar  compiled  by  him.  Dr. 
Morrison  has  furnished  English  students  of  the  Chinese 
with  highly  valuable  facilities  for  attaining  a  knowledge 
of  that  very  difficult  language,  and  at  the  same  time  con- 
tributed to  open  more  widely  the  door  of  access  to  the 
stores  of  Chinese  literature  and  philosophy.  But  his 
labours  in  this  department  are  more  particularly  important, 
as  they  supply  the  Christian  missionary  with  the  means  of 
attaining  with  accuracy,  and  as  far  as  possible  with  "ease, 
the  language  of  a  people  who  compose  almost  a  fourth 
part  of  the  entire  whole  population  of  the  globe. 

The  philological  labours  of  Dr.  Morrison  have  also 
contributed  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  future  dissemina- 
tion of  European  learning  and  science,  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  English  language,  among  the  natives  of 
China.  The  introduction  of  these  into  the  empire,  as 
objects  of  study  in  the  first  place  to  the  more  learned, 
and  gradually  of  education  to  others,  would  naturally  tend 
to  loosen  the  fetters  of  superstition  and  prejudice  ;  to 
substitute  for  a  contempt  perhaps  more  feigned  than  real 
a  degree  of  respect  for  the  inhabitants  of  Europe,  and 
thus  at  length  to  procure  a  more  candid  attention,  on  the 
part  of  the  more  inquisitive  Chinese  at  least,  to  the  evi- 
dences and  doctrines  of  Christianity. 


72  SURVEY    OF    CIIMSTIANITX. 

It  was  the  contemplation  of  these  reciprocal  advan- 
tages, in  connexion  with  missionary  undertakings  in  the 
East,  which  led  to  the  foundation  of  the  Anglo-Chinese 
College  at  Malacca,  an  institution  which  was  not  only 
projected  by  Dr.  Morrison,  but  to  which  he  contributed  an 
original  donation  of  one  thousand  pounds,  and  subse- 
quently for  its  annual  support. 

In  this  institution,  by  its  local  situation  sufficiently  re- 
moved from  the  interference  of  the  Chinese  authorities, 
and  yet  admitting  of  an  easy  and  extensive  communica- 
tion with  that  portion  of  the  Chinese  population  which  is 
scattered  over  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  and 
occasionally  even  with  those  of  the  Chinese  continent  itself, 
are  collected  together  all  the  requisites  for  enabling  the 
Christian  missionary  speedily  to  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
the  language,  literature,  and  philosophy  of  China,  as  well 
as  becoming  familiarly  acquainted  with  the  Chinese  ver- 
sion of  the  Scriptures,  by  which  means  he  may  be  qualified 
to  go  forth  and  preach  the  Cospel  among  the  numerous 
Chinese  of  the  Archipelago  ;  whence  it  is  hoped  that 
at  no  distant  period  native  teachers  will  pass  over  to  the 
continent  of  China,  to  teach  their  idolatrous  countrymen 
the  knowledge  of  that  religion  by  which  they  themselves 
shall  have  been  previously  made  wise  unto  salvation. 

In  connexion  with  this  object  a  missionary  establish- 
ment was  formed  in  1815  at  Malacca,  on  the  recommen- 
dation of  Dr.  Morrison ;  and  it  has  eminently  promoted 
the  views  of  the  Missionary  Society  in  reference  to 
China,  particularly  in  respect  to  the  translation,  printing, 
and  extensive  circulation,  of  the  Chinese  version  of  the 
Scriptures  and  other  religious  publications,  and  to  the 
direct  instruction  given  to  the  Chinese  at  that  settlement. 
In  1823,  however,  agreeably  to  an  earnest  desire  ex- 
pressed by  the  late  Sir  Stamford  Raffles,  then  governor  of 
Singapore,  it  was  resolved  to  remove  the  college  at  Ma- 
lacca, and  to  unite  it  with  a  Malayan  college  to  be 
founded  at  Singapore,  a  small  island  at  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  peninsula  of  Malacca,  containing  about 
twelve  thousand  inhabitants,  one  third  of  whom  are 
Chinese.  The  ian.^iages  embraced  by  this  institution  are 
the  Chinese,  Malay an,  Siamese.  Bugguese,  Arabic,  and 


CHINA.  73 

the  language  of  the  island  of  Bali — languages  spoken  by 
a  population  of  at  least  three  hundred  millions. 

From  the  report  of  the  London  Missionary  Society  for 
J  827,  it  would  appear  that  this  resolution  has  not  yet  been 
carried  into  effect,  and  that  the  college  is  still  at  Malacca. 
From  the  same  source  we  learn  that  the  number  of  stu- 
dents in  this  institution,  in  June,  182ti,  was  twenty-eight ; 
but  among  these  were  no  more  than  two  Chinese.  There 
were,  however,  at  the  same  date,  at  Malacca,  seven  Chinese 
schools,  containing  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  boys. 

In  the  present  circumstances  of  China,  the  public 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  any  one  spot  of  the  empire  is 
totally  impracticable.  All,  therefore,  that  can  yet  be  done 
is  to  disseminate  the  Scriptures  and  other  religious  publica- 
tions, together  with  such  useful  knowledge,  either  literary 
or  scientific,  as  shall  be  adapted  to  enlighten,  expand,  and 
liberalize  the  mind.  It  is  almost  exclusively  through  the 
medium  of  books  that  missionaries  can  address  them- 
selves to  the  myriads  who  people  this  immense  country  ; 
and  that  method  of  introducing  Christianity  among  them 
has  been  for  some  years  in  extensive  operation.  Prior 
to  1822,  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  copies  of  va- 
rious publications  in  Chinese,  including  portions  of  the 
Scriptures,  had  been  dispersed  by  the  agents  of  the  Lon- 
don Missionary  Society  alone,  partly  among  the  Chinese 
settlers  in  Malacca  and  Penang,  and  in  various  islands 
in  the  Malayan  Archipelago,  and  partly  among  the  navi 
gators  and  others  on  board  Chinese  trading  vessels,  by 
which  means  they  have  obtained  circulation  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  empire. 

At  present,  however,  the  general  circulation  of  the 
Bible  in  China  itself  is  almost  out  of  the  question,  as  the 
government  has,  from  fear  of  conspiracies,  prohibited  not 
only  all  religious  meetings,  but  also  the  books  of  the  Ca- 
tholic church,  in  order  to  check  that  religious  fanaticism 
to  which  the  common  people  manifest  a  stronger  disposi- 
tion than  ever. 

The  Catholic  missionaries  in  China  will,  no  doubt, 
throw  not  les<  impediments  in  the  way  of  the  Protestant, 
than  the  mandarines  and  the  court  itself  could  do  :  for 
both  carry  with  them  their  prejudices  and  religious  enmi- 

7 


74  SURVEY   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

ties  from  Europe  to  Asia.  In  the  eyes  of  the  Capuchins 
and  Dominicans  a  Protestant  Chinese  would  .he  no  better 
than  a  pagan  ;  and  on  the  other  hand  the  Protestant  mis- 
sionary could  not  see  the  Catholic  Chinese  kneeling  before 
the  images  of  saints  without  profound  pity.  Both  parties 
will  anathematize  eacli  other,  as  missionaries  in  other 
countries  have  done,  and  thus  render  Christianity  itself 
still  more  contemptible  to  the  better  educated  Chinese. 

This  melancholy  spectacle,  which  has  been  but  too 
frequently  exhibited  in  other  quarters  of  the  globe  as  well 
as  Europe — witness  the  missionary  reports  of  Catholics 
and  Protestants— demonstrates  how  far  the  generality  of 
the  European  clergy  of  all  communions  have  been  from 
seizing  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SURVEY     OF    TUNKIN,    COCHIN-CHINA,    AND     THE     KIRMAN 
EMPIRE THE    TALEE    LANGUAGE. 

To  the  south  of  China,  separated  from  it  by  immense 
deserts  and  rugged  mountains,  lies  the  extensive  empire 
of  Tunkin,  intersected  by  ranges  of  hills  and  fertile 
valleys.  The  inhabitants  of  this  country,  about  twenty 
mi. lions  in  number,  of  Mongol  extraction,  have  mild 
mimners  and  intelligent  minds,  and  are  nearly  on  a  level 
with  the  Chinese  in  regard  to  the  aits  and  sciences.  They 
seem  to  have  derived  their  religious  notions  from  the 
nations  dwelling  at  a  remote  period  in  the  countries  con- 
tiguous to  the  Ganges.  They  adore  a  Supreme  Being, 
and  pay  still  greater  reverence  to  the  tutelar  spirits  of 
their  families  and  villages  in  numberless  little  temples. 
We  are  assured  that,  in  the  interior  of  the  mountains,  the 
evil  spirit  alone  is  propitiated  with  sacrifices ;  probably 
for  the  same  reason  that  many  European  Christians 
abstain  from  vice  rather  for  fear  of  the  devil  than  out  of 
love  to  God. 


TUNKIN.       COCHIN-CHINA.  75 

So  early  as  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Jesuits,  Baldi- 
^otti,  Marquez,  and  Alexander  de  Rhodez,  came  to  these 
parts  to  preach  the  crucified  Jesus.  The  boasts  made  by 
them  and  their  successors  of  the  efficacy  of  their  labours 
among  the  heathen,  that  in  a  short  time  they  had  tv\Q 
hundred  handsome  churches  in  the  four  provinces  of  the 
kingdom,  and  had  baptized  eighty  thousand  Tunkinese 
within  two  years  (1645  and  1646,)  seem  to  have  belonged 
to  those  exaggerations  which  the  Jesuits  are  fond  of  em- 
ploying, either  to  enhance  the  fame  of  their  Order  in 
Europe,  or  to  inspire  others  of  their  fraternity  with 
courage  to  follow  them.  It  is  not  improbable,  however, 
that  they  excited  a  sensation,  and  perhaps  disturbances  of 
the  peace,  in  Tunkin,  by  their  zeal  for  the  conversion  ol 
the  people  ;  for,  in  1721,  they  were  all  expelled  the 
country,  and  many  of  the  converts,  especially  the  more 
opulent,  were  plundered  and  even  punished  with  death. 
The  Portuguese  sent  hither  fresh  missionaries  from 
Macao;  but  these  were  obliged  to  keep  their  real  object 
a  profound  secret.  Though  wars  and  civil  commotions 
obstructed  the  execution  of  the  laws,  still  those  laws 
themselves  were  not  wholly  forgotten;  for,  in  1775,  two 
Dominicans,  convicted  of  making  converts,  were  publicly 
executed. 

The  seed  of  Christianity  had  meanwhile  struck  root  in 
these  valleys  of  eastern  Asia  ;  and  frequently  as  the  con- 
verts were  exposed  to  public  contempt,  to  the  extortions 
of  viceroys,  or  to  the  rapacity  of  the  populace,  still  they 
persevered  in  propagating  their  nobler  convictions.  Ac- 
cording to  the  reports  of  the  Romish  missionaries,  the 
Emperor  of  Tunkin,  named  Dsha-Loang,  is  more  tolerant 
and  gracious.  He  has  repealed  the  old  law  of  persecu- 
tion, allowed  the  Catholic  bishop  de  la  Barbette  to  erect 
several  convents  for  pious  professors  of  the  Cross,  and 
granted  to  the  Christians  the  .unmolested  exercise  of  their 
religion.  In  1807  the  number  of  these,  under  four  bish- 
ops, amounted  to  307,000  souls  ;  at  least  this  was  the 
number  stated  by  a  missionary,  who  had  resided  in  these 
countries  eighteen  years,  to  M.  de  St.  Croix,  a  French 
traveller  who  visited  the  coast  and  the  port  of  Turon. 

The  territory  of  Cochin-China.  a  prolongation  of  the 


76  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

east  coast  of  Farther  India,  adjoins  Tunkin.  Here  too 
attempts  were  made,  during  upwards  of  a  century  and  a 
half,  to  convert  the  people,  who  seem  to  be  more  or  less 
connected  with  their  neighbours  by  language,  manners, 
and  religious  opinions.  In  this  country  as  in  Tunkin  and 
China,  the  missionaries  first  introduced  themselves  as  ma- 
thematicians to  the  grandees  and  at  court.  As  such  they 
enjoyed  protection  and  respect ;  they  were  invested  with 
offices  under  the  government,  and  by  means  of  these  the 
Jesuits  contrived  to  acquire  great  influence.  In  1 74 1 P 
Father  Siegbert  even  obtained  the  honour  of  being  ap- 
pointed chief  dog-keeper  to  his  imperial  majesty  of  Co 
^hin-China. 

The  Roman  Catholic  religion  had  made  a  prosperous 
commencement  in  Cochin-China,  when,  in  the  year  1751. 
all  the  European  missionaries  were  expelled  the  country, 
and  the  churches  demolished  by  command  of  the  court. 
This  calamity  was  chiefly  occasioned  by  the  folly  of  the 
missionaries  themselves  ;  for  the  Jesuits,  Franciscans,  and 
Dominicans  continued  to  cherish  here  their  European 
jealousy  for  each  other  ;  and  the  disputes  about  Jansenism 
were  prosecuted  as  loudly  at  Bak-Kingh  and  Cachao,  in 
Cochin-China,  as  in  Paris  and  Rome.  Each  of  the  Orders 
was  solicitous  to  acquire  an  ascendancy  over  the  rest. 
Several  deputies,  indeed,  were  sent  from  Europe  to  restore 
peace  ;  the  empire  was  divided  into  districts  ;  one  was 
assigned  to  the  Jesuits,  another  to  the  Franciscans,  and 
the  French  missionaries  were  placed  between  them  :  but 
this  arrangement  was  ineffectual.  The  decrees  of  the 
popes  themselves  proved  unavailing  at  such  a  distance, 
where  the  perverse  and  subtle  Jesuits  contrived  to  evade 
the  ordinances  of  his  Holiness.  These  quarrels  termina- 
ted, as  we  have  already  observed,  in  the  expulsion  of  all 
the  missionaries. 

Since  the  year  1774,  they  have  indeed  been  again  ad- 
mitted into  the  country,  and  more  indulgence  has  been 
shown  to  the  Christians,  who  had  till  then  been  persecu- 
ted on  account  of  their  faith  :  but  still  the  present  state  ol 
Christianity  in  Cochin-China  is  enveloped  in  profound 
obscurity.  We  only  know  from  the  particulars  given  by 
the  old  missionary  at  Turon  to  M.  de  St.  Croix  that,  for 


MALACCA.  77 

want  of  adequate  resources  for  the  maintenance  of  semi 
n  tries,  the  number  of  tiie  clergy  was  rapidly  decreasing, 
while  that  of  the  Catholic  Christians  in  the  country  amount- 
ed to  six  hundred  thousand). 

Indeed,  when  we  peruse  the  numerous  controversies, 
charges,  and  vindications  published  about  the  middle  oi 
the  eighteenth  century  respecting  the  missions  in  Cochin- 
China — vhen  we  consider,  on  the  other  hand,  the  calm 
solicitude  of  the  good-natured  Tunkinese  to  acquire  the 
most  important  kin d  of  knowledge,  and  on  the  other  the 
unworthy,  nay,  disgraceful  conduct  of  Christian  priests — 
we  are  doubtful  whether  a  conscientious  paganism  is  not 
far  preferable  to  such  vicious  Christianity.  When,  in 
1738,  the  Congregation  for  Propagating  the  Faith  at 
Rome  sent  bishop  de  la  Beautne  as  Piter  Visitator  to 
Cochin-China,  the  Jesuits  involved  him  in  the  keenest  vex- 
ations, and  played  a  hundred  malicious  tricks  to  disgust 
him  with  the  mission.  Some  of  them'  enticed  from  him 
his  cook,  and  others  the  medical  attendant  whom  he  had 
brought  with  him  to  take  care  of  his  health.  Such  was 
the  effect  of  these  and  other  mortifications  that  he  fell  ill  ; 
and  they  then  carried  the  joke  so  far  as  to  send  a  whole 
pack  of  yelping  hounds  to  be  turned  loose  in  his  house, 
the  messenger  who  brought  them  alleging,  that  they  were 
a  present  from  the  emperor,  who  had  appointed  the  Pater 
Visitator  to  be  keeper  of  his  dogs.  Poor  old  de  la 
Beaume  actually  died  broken-hearted  in  consequence  of 
this  treatment. 

Farther  Tndia  runs  out  southward  into  a  narrow  pe- 
ninsula, covered  with  mountains,  morasses,  and  intermina- 
ble forests,  upwards  of  thirty  thousand  square  miles  in 
extent.  This  is  .Malacca,  the  original  abode  of  the  subtle 
and  cruel  Malays,  whose  race  and  language  have  spread 
themselves  over  all  the  Asiatic  islands  to  the  east  coast  of 
Africa  and  the  west  coast  of  America,  and  in  the  Austra- 
lian ocean  as  far  as  the  Sandwich  Islands.  They  dwell 
in  the  interior  of  the  country  in  unconquerable  indepen- 
dence, under  various  chiefs — poor,  content,  and  arrogant. 
Their  religious  notions  are  as  rude  as  their  manners.  It 
is  said,  that  in  their  immense  forests  they  still  sacrifice  hu- 
man  victims.     Malacca,    the   most   important   town   of 


78  3URVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

the  Malays,  is  the  chief  mart  for  the  traffic  of  the  whole 
peninsula. 

This  country  too  was  early  visited  by  Catholic  priests, 
who  came  hither  with  the  Portuguese  traders  in  the  six- 
teenth century  to  proclaim  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  but  they 
confined  their  preaching  to  the  coasts.  That  their  labour 
was  not  absolutely  thrown  away  is  proved  by  the  existence 
of  a  bishop  at  Malacca,  whose  diocess,  however,  is  not 
extensive,  nor  is  his  dignity  secure.  The  Dutch  cared 
more  about  pepper,  tin,  and  ivory,  than  about  the  conver- 
sion of  the  Malays.  After  the  Dutch  possessions  had 
been  reduced  by  the  British  arms,  in  the  wars  with  Napo- 
leon, the  London  Missionary  {Society  sent  messengers  of 
salvation  to  Malacca  to  enlighten  the  Malays. 

Since  Major  Symes  gave  to  the  world  his  account  of 
the  embassy  on  which  he  was  sent  in  1 795  by  the  gover- 
nor-general of  India  to  the  kingdom  of  Ava,  new  light  has 
been  diffused  over  the  empires,  countries,  and  nations, 
which  occupy  the  west  coast,  of  Farther  India,  and  the 
greatest  part  of  this  extensive  peninsula.  It  was  not  till 
then  that  we  again  received  tidings  of  the  Golden  Land  of 
ancient  Ptolemy — the  Arracan,  Siam,  Ava,  and"  Pegu  of 
the  Portuguese,  of  which  nothing  had  been  heard  since 
their  voyages  for  discovery  and  commerce  to  the  regions 
beyond  the  Ganges; "or  of  the  extensive  empire  of  the 
Birmans,  founded  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury by  the  able  and  enterprising  Alompra,  who  raised 
himself  from  the  rank  of  a  common  huntsman  to  the  impe- 
rial throne  of  Immerapoorah,  and  to  the  despotic  sove- 
reignty over  Ava,  Pegu,  Arracan,  Meklay,  and  West 
Siam  ;  and  of  the  high  degree  of  civilization  of  those  na- 
tions; of  their  large  flourishing  cities;  their  magnificent 
palaces,  temples,  and  convents  ;  their  gentle  manners,  their 
treasures,  their  libraries,  and  their  ancient  laws  and  usages. 
China  and  Japan  have  not  arrived  at  a  higher  pitch  of 
culture,  but  the  Birmans  are  less  jealous  and  reserved. 
Even  their  females  are  allowed  the  liberty  of  social  in- 
tercourse, as  among  European  nations.  Their  laws,  as 
Symes  assures  us,  are  wise  and  full  of  sound  morality. 
Their  police  is  superior  to  that  of  many  countries  in  Eu- 
rope.    Neither  confined  by  the  prejudices  of  castes  and 


BIKMAK   EMPIRE.  S9 

nobility  to  hereditary  occupations,  nor  cut  off  by  religious 
ordinances  from  intercourse  with  foreigners,  the  Birmans 
are  naturally  hospitable  and  courteous,  even  to  strangers, 
and  more  disposed  to  manly  frankness  than  courtier-like 
dissimulation.  Knowledge  is  so  widely  diffused  in  this 
country,  that  you  scarcely  meet  with  an  artizan  or  even 
an  individual  of  the  lowest  class  of  the  people  who  cannot 
read  or  write — which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  many  a 
country  in  Europe  which  prides  itself  on  its  civilization. 

Neighbours  of  the  lofty  Tibet  and  the  Bramins  on  the 
Ganges,  the  Birmans  have  in  their  religious  notions  much 
that  is  akin  to  those  of  the  people  on  whom  they  border  ; 
nay,  they  have  the  same  fundamental  tenets  of  that  faith 
which,  more  widely  extended  than  the  Christian  or  even 
the  Muhamedan  religion,  and  far  more  ancient  than  either, 
predominates  in  the  whole  of  southern  and  eastern  Asia, 
in  the  mountains  of  Tibet  as  in  Tunkin  and  Cochin-Chi- 
na, in  Ceylon  as  in  Japan  and  China. 

Here  prevail  the  adoration  of  a  Supreme  Being,  the 
reverence  of  an  incarnate  God,  or  divine  Messiah,  who  is 
worshipped  in  numberless  temples  by  the  Birmans  under 
the  name  and  image  of  Gaudma  and  Buddha,  and  is  called 
by  the  Siamese  Somono-Codom,  and  likewise  Budh  or 
Po,  the  Chinese  Foh.  Here  too  we  meet  with  the  doc- 
trine of  the  transmigration  of  souls,  of  the  punishment  or 
happiness  of  spirits  at  the  conclusion  of  their  pilgrimage, 
of  the  clemency  and  mercy  of  God,  which,  as  being  his 
first  attributes,  ought  also  to  be  the  first  virtues  of  men. 
Here  we  again  discover  the  similarity  of  religious  notions 
and  ceremonies  to  those  of  the  Christians  which  we  found 
in  Tibet.  Here  too  Gaudma  is  the.  Son  of  God,  born  of  a 
virgin  ;  here  too  we  hear  of  purgatory ;  here  too  we  see 
convents  for  persons  of  both  sexes,  rosaries,  religious  pro- 
cessions, shaven  and  barefoot  monks,  who  daily  sing  in 
chorus,  and  take  vows  of  poverty  and  celibacy;  here  too 
auricular  confession  and  the  remission  of  sins  are  intro- 
duced. 

If  many  of  these  doclrmes  and  customs  of  perhaps  the 
most  ancient  religion  of  Asia  were  not  subsequently  trans- 
ferred by  Oriental  Christians  to  the  Catholic  church,  we 
cannot  but  be  astonished  at  the  resemblance  of  the  Catho- 


80  SURVEY    OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

lie  church,  its  tenets,  and  ceremonies — which,  however^ 
were  not  adopted  till  several  centuries  after  the  birth  of 
Christ — with  those  01  Hindoostan,  Tibet,  Japan,  Corea, 
China,  Siam,  Ava,  Pegu,  Ceylon,  &,c.  For,  since  a 
clearer  light  has  been  thrown  on  ancient  Asia,  no  one 
would  suppose  that  all  these  things  could  be  faint  and  dis 
torted  traces  of  the  extinct  JNestorian  Christianity. 

As  the  language  of  the  sacred  writings  of  the  Hindoos. 
Tibetians,  and  Japanese,  differs  from  that  of  common 
life,  so  also  does  that  of  the  Birmaus.  Among  the  latter, 
the  Palee  is  the  ancient  and  sacred  language  of  the  vota- 
ries of  Buddha  or  Gaudma,  and  it  is  employed  by  the 
Rinnans  for  religious  purposes,  as  the  Sanscrit  by  the 
Bramins,  the  Arabic  by  the  .Vluhamedans,  and  the  Latin 
by  the  Roman  Catholic  Christian.  Those  who  have 
studied  the  oriental  languages  consider  the  Palee  as  being 
in  all  probability  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Sanscrit.  We 
know,  however,  that  in  the  Sanscrit  books  Palee  signifies 
a  shepherd,  and  that  the  most  ancient  inhabitants  of 
Hindoostan  were  called  Palees — an  appellation  w.uch 
cannot  but  remind  us  of  the  Pahbothra  of  Pliny  and  Mela, 
that  once  renowned  city^of  Indian  antiquity,  no  traces  of 
which  are  now  extant. 

The  learned  Hager  connects  with  this  appellation  still 
grander  recollections.  It  is  possible  that  from  these 
Palees,  the  Aborigines  of  Asia,  Pahstan  (Palestine) 
derived  its  name.  From  this  quarter  it  was  that  the  con- 
quering shepherds,  the  shepherd  kings,  the  Hyksos,  pe- 
netrated into  Egypt.  Bruce  in  his  "  Travels  in  Abyssinia,' 
informs  us  that  the  shepherds  of  that  country  are  still  ,o 
this  day  called  Balus.  The  Roman  goddess,  Pales,  in 
wiiose  honour  the  Palilia  were  celebrated,  was  thegodde>s 
of  shepherds.  This  was  scarcely  an  invention  of  Rome. 
It  is  well  known  that  there  arc  many  words  in  the  Sanscrit 
which  have  precisely  the  same  signification  as  in  Latin  : 
and  that  the  Slavonian  language  has  a  striking  affinity 
with  the  Latin,  and  many  words  in  common  with  the 
Sanscrit. 

Saka,  the  Schaka  of  the  Tibetians  and  Japanese, 
received  divine  honours  from  the  Babylonians  of  old. 
Now  Sakiah,  in  Chaldean  or  Assyrian,  signifies  a  prophet. 


BIKMAN  EMPIRE.  81 

That  he,  or  Buddha,  the  founder  of  the  religion  of 
Southern  Asia,  was  the  son  of  a  virgin,  was  known  to 
St.  Jerome  (Adversus  Jovinianum,  I.  6).  Gaudama 
(Sommono-Codom)  as  the  Birmans  call  Buddha,  means 
in  Phoenician,  Syrian,  and  Chaldee,  according  to  Hager's 
explanation,  the  Ancient,  the  First,  the  Antecedent. 

The  Shamans  of  the  Lama  religion  among  the  Mon- 
gols and  Calmucks,  the  Shammers  or  Shemmers  of  Tibet, 
whom  f  have  already  had  occasion  to  mention,  the  She- 
muen  of  the  Chinese,  are  all  fanatical  penitents,  ancho- 
rites and  devotees,  engaged  exclusively  with  heavenly 
things.  Such  too  were  the  Gymnosophists,  the  Sama- 
naeans  of  antiquity,  who  were  known  to  Cicero  and  Plu- 
tarch, and  of  whom  Pliny  says  :  Per  saculorum  millia, 
incredibile  dictu,  gens  aterna — an  eternal  people,  who 
have  already  existed  for  thousands  of  years. 

As  all  languages,  both  dead  and  living,  point  by  their 
affinity  to  one  general  mother,  from  which  all,  or  at  any 
rate  most  of  them,  have  probably  sprung  ;  so  all  religions 
point,  in  their  notions,  images,  and  ceremonies,  to  the 
ideas  and  usages  of  an  extinct  aboriginal  nation.  But 
to  return  to  the  delineation  of  the  present  state  of  Chris 
tianity  among  the  Birmans. 

When  the  bold  commercial  spirit  of  the  Portuguese  in 
the  sixteenth  century  conducted  their  fleets  to  the  coasts  oi 
Siam  and  Pegu,  they  established  with  their  first  settle- 
ments institutions  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  The 
Christian  friars  and  priests  of  those  days  were  astonished- 
as  they  well  might  be,  to  find  there,  among  the  reputed 
heathen,  monks  by  whom  they  were  themselves  surpassed 
in  many  virtues.  The  convents  of  the  Birmans  were  and 
still  continue  to  be  temples  of  hospitality  for  the  stranger 
and  the  unfortunate.  Priests  and  novices,  beneficent  to 
men,  compassionate  towards  brutes,  none  of  which  they 
slaughter  for  food,  preaching  the  love  of  one's  neighbour 
as  the  highest  virtue,  are  not  burdensome,  like  the  Eu- 
ropean mendicant  friars,  by  collecting  alma,  or  making 
others  labour  in  their  stead.  They  cultivate  with  their 
own  hands  the  land  allotted  for  their  support,  and  have  a 
surplus  to  bestow  in  charity. 

The  arms  of  the  Portuguese  proved  serviceable  to  the 

. 


SURVEY   OP   CHRIST]  INI  I  S 

Birmans  in  Ibeir  wars  with  Pegu,  and  caused' the  name 
of  the  brave  Christians  to  be  respected  in  the  country. 
Tin*  missionaries,  therefore,  proclaimed  the  Gospel  of 
the  western  world,  without  Fear  and  with  success;  but 
when  subsequently  the  gre  itness  of  Portugal  declined,  and 
her  possessions  were  reduced  by  the  Dutch,  the  Christian 
settlers  dwindled  both  in  number  and  consequence.  The) 
would  probably  have  become  extinct,  had  not  France1 
during  the  reign  of  Louis  \l\ .,  made  fresh  attempts  to 
propagate  the  doctrine  <>f  the  Romish  Church  in  Siam, 
r>\  the  year  it-jo,  however,  the  French  missionaries 
were  in  deplorable  circumstances      Above  Siam,  on  the 

left  bank  i»t'  the  river  Maxima,  thev  had  a  bishop,  toge- 
ther with  a  church  and  school  for  new  converts.  The  lat 
ter,  mostly  tlu1  dregs  of  the  people,  generally  came  in  tin 
greatest  numbers  to  the  Christian  schools  when  the  bar- 
had  failed)  and  disappeared  again  with  the  dearth 
of  provisions. 

The  missions  o[  the  Christians  in  Pegu  and  A\a  fared 
in  nearly  the  same  manner,  There  are  still  to  be  Been 
the  melancholy  relies  of  Portuguese  institutions,  which 
the  Congregation  for  the  Propagation  o\'  the  Faith  at 
Rome  had  with  commendable  attention  maintained  dur- 
ing the  eighteenth  century.  In  the  latter  half  of  thai 
century,  Percotto,  the  missionary,  rendered  good  service 
to  the  sacred  cause  by  the  assiduous  labours  of  twenty 
rears.  He  was  succeeded  bj  Vicenzo  San  Germany  an 
Italian,  sent  by  the  Propaganda,  a  pious,  intelligent,  and 
truly  respectable  man.  lie  was  living  in  1795  not  tai 
from  Rangoon,  one  of  the  principal  sea-ports  «>f  Pegu. 
His  congregation  consisted,  according  to  Major  symes, 
who  himself  conversed  with  him.  o\  descendants  ot 
the  Portuguese,  who,  though  still  numerous,  were  in 
genera]  in  very  needy  circumstances.  They  had, 
lOVerthelesS,  built  a   handsome  church,   and  purchased  foi 

their  spiritualpaetor  a  plot  ot'  ground,  on  which  lie  had  a 

Commodious  habitation  and  a  garden.  He  subsisted  on 
the  voluntary  contributions  of  his  flock,  for  which  he  per- 
formed divine   service  twice  a  day,   and  instructed   tin 

hildren  m  the  doctrines  ot'  the  Romish  Church. 
Since  England  formed  a  closer  connexion  with  the 


fflBHAl   MMttRE, 

Birroaai  tor  the  lake  of  tbeif  commerce,  the  London 
\]j •  nonary  8o<  ieties  have  had  an  eye  to  tba  diffusion  oi 
the  religion  oi  Jesus  in  these  countries*  The  American 
Bapti  l  Mi    ionsry  Society  likewi  Rangoon  fin 

the  mam  point.  of  tbeif  pious  undertaking.  The  town, 
consisting  of  about  five  thousand  to  opled  by  thirty 

ind   inhabitant*,  and   which,  smee   tu   destrud 
by  (ire  in  1807,  hai  risen  more  beautiful  from  i 

onveniently  lituated  near  the  tea  on  the  r..'.r  In 
yaddy,    which   for   length  may  be  compared   with  the 
Ganges.     Hither   M<    i     Judson    and   Felix  Carey,  the 
latter  *j  physician,  Proti  tant  mi  - 

rionaries,    in    1807,  by   the  American   B 
They  commenced  t  hfrjr  laboura  b 
Bcripturea  into  Birman,  and  into  the  language    of  P 
and  Siam.     The  emperor  subsequently  (in  1813)  granted 
them  permit  rion  to  establish  a  pn  ra  for  printing 

their  Bibles.     Carey  repaired  thither,  and  the  empero 
appointed  him  hit  own   physician,  and  employed  him  to 
inoculate  bis  children  with  the 

In  I«n7  there  were  no  Europeans  al  Rangoon,  e» 
ing  the   mil  ionariea  and  a  French  family.     It  appears 
that  on  the  commencement  of  tl 
the  English,  the  former  were  put  under  confinement  and 
treated  with  the  utii  command  ofthe  golden- 

footed  roonan  n  of  the  Birman  empire 

aominated<     The   eventi  of  that  red  to 

make  tic  better  acquainted  with  the  people  of  this  pari  oi 

India,  and  also  to    how  that  then  ggeration 

in  the  account-   previou  concerning  them*     Be 

may,  the  :  ed  in  Januai  . .    1826,  by 

'i  the  King  of  Ava  ceded  to  the  East  India  Com- 

the  provinces  of  Arracan  and  some  other:-;,  include 

ing  the  whole  of  the  We  U  rn   jea-coa  »    of  the  empire, 

from  the  frontier  of  the  British  province  of  Chittagong  to 

land  of  Salangar  and  the  peninsula  of  Malacca,  for 

(tent   of  nine  hundred  miles,  seems  to  have  opened 

itrance  for  Christianity  into  thw  part  of  India. 
Amherst,  the   present  head-quarterfl  of  the  American 

ionaries,  is  a  new  town  formed  by   the  British  neai 
'fie  mouth  of  the  river  Martaban,  and   the  seat  of  the 


34  SURVEY   OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

British  Government  in  Birmah.  They  have  now  free 
access  to  the  people  without  fear,  and  may  employ  all  the 
means  of  instruction  within  their  reach  ;  they  may  preach 
and  establish  schools  in  which  the  principles  of  Christianity 
can  be  taught ;  and  the  natives  may  also  inquire,  read 
the  Scriptures,  hear  the  Gospel  and  embrace  it  without 
being  subject  as  heretofore  to  penalty  and  oppression. 
Every  advantage  will  no  doubt  be  taken  of  this  favourable 
change,  and  from  the  last  report  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society  we  learn  that  in  August,  1826,  types  had 
arrived  from  England  at  Colombo,  in  Ceylon,  for  the 
purpose  of  printing  the  New  Testament  in  the  Palee 
which  is  the  written  language  of  the  Birman  empire. 

Previously  to  the  war,  a  Baptist  missionary  had  been 
stationed  in  the  British  Province  of  Chittagong,  on  the 
frontiers  of  the  Birman  empire,  among  the  Mugs,  who 
were  originally  refugees  from  the  neighbouring  province 
of  Arracan.  The  congregation  thus  collected  was  dis- 
persed by  the  events  of  the  war  ;  but  since  the  restoration 
of  peace  and  the  cession  of  x\rracan  to  the  British,  these 
poor  people  have  returned  thither  in  a  body,  with  their 
pastor  at  their  head.  Thus  has  a  new  and  easy  access 
been  obtained  in  a  most  unexpected  manner  into  the  Bir- 
man empire  ;  and,  from  the  relative  position  of  this  coun- 
try to  China,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  extensive  fron- 
tier of  that  vast  and  populous  region  may  ere  long  be  laid 
open  to  the  Gospel. 


HINDOOSTAN.  8. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

PURVEY  OF  HINDOOSTAN FOBMER  NARROW-MINDED  POLICl 

OF  THE  EAST  INDIA  COMPANY  IN  REGARD  TO  MISSIONS 
SCHWARTZ,  THE  MISSIONARY STATE  OF  THE  PRO- 
TESTANT AND  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS — THE  SYRIAN  CHRIS- 
TIANS. 

Excepting  those  countries  of  Asia  which  are  subject 
lo  the  Russian  and  Turkish  sceptre,  there  is  no  region  in 
that  part  of  the  globe  which  contains  so  many  Christian 
inhabitants  as  India  on  this  side  of  the  Ganges  ;  nor  any 
in  which  the  propagation  of  Christianity  is  carried  on  at 
a  greater  expense.  Immense  primitive  forests,  now  be- 
longing by  purchase  to  the  English,  separate  Bengal  from 
the  Birman  empire. 

Hindoostan,  endowed  beyond  all  other  countries  with 
natural  beauty  and  riches,  in  Asia  called  the  garden  of 
God,  of  which,  as  the  proverb  says,  the  Arab  dreams 
when  he  chews  opium,  was  as  highly  celebrated  in  the 
remotest  antiquity  for  the  treasures  of  its  cotton,  pearls, 
and  precious  stones,  as  it  is  at  the  present  day.  The 
course  pursued  by  the  commodities  of  India  to  other 
countries  gave  existence  to  large  cities  and  prosperity  to 
the  most  distant  empires.  While  the  caravans  from  India 
continued  to  travel  along  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  Baby- 
lon flourished  ;  in  Egypt,  Memphis,  and  Thebes  ;  then 
Palmyra,  or  Tadmor,  in  the  Syrian  deserts,  and  Tyre  ; 
afterwards  Alexandria,  Bagdad,  Samarcand,  Venice,  Am- 
sterdam, London.  What  nation  soever  possessed  the 
commerce  of  India,  was  the  most  wealthy  and  the  most 
powerful ;   and  that  which  lost  it  sank  into  insignificance. 

India  is  at  this  day  the  main  pillar  of  British  greatness. 
Cut  off  Hindoostan  and  England  will  decline,  as  Portugal 
and  Holland  have  declined.  Hindoostan,  with  an  area  of 
above  a  million  square  miles  and  a  population  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  millions  of  souls,  is  now  nearly  one*hali' 
of  it  a  British  province. 

There  is  scarcely  any  part  of  the  world  in  which  the 
8 


ob  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

superiority  of  European  culture  and  civilization  is  more 
strikingly  displayed  than  in  this.  A  vast  country,  one  of 
the  richest  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  well  by  the  in- 
dustry of  its  inhabitants  as  by  the  exhaustless  bounty 
of  Nature — a  country  full  of  valiant  tribes,  which,  ac- 
customed to  independence,  never  hesitated  to  sacrifice 
their  lives  for  it,  and  which  ages  since  were  strong  by 
religious  ideas  and  civil  institutions,  by  the  arts  and  an- 
tique science — this  country  is  now  dependent  on  a  na- 
tion not  half  so  numerous  as  its  inhabitants,  dwelling  in 
a  northern  island  in  a  remote  quarter  of  the  globe,  at  a 
distance  of  more  than  five  thousand  miles !  Scarcely 
forty-six  thousand  Europeans  live  among  sixty  millions  of 
natives  and  keep  them  in  awe.  Not  more  than  twenty 
thousand  of  these  Europeans  are  soldiers,  who,  being  too 
few  in  number  for  such  extensive  possessions,  have  asso- 
ciated with  themselves  one  hundred  and  forty-four  thou- 
sand natives  to  defend  their  conquests  as  well  against  the 
inhabitants  themselves  as  against  the  contiguous  inde- 
pendent states.  Even  the  civil  administration  of  the 
country  is  carried  on  by  about  three  thousand  European 
officers,  who  have  under  them  about  twelve  thousand  na- 
tives. And  yet  the  vast  machine  works  with  the  utmost 
security,  regularity,  and  quiet,  without  stoppage,  without 
disturbance,  without  complaint. 

This  is  not  the  proper  place  for  calculating  the  tons  of 
gold  which  Britain  derives  from  the  commerce  of  India, 
and  by  means  of  which  rather  than  by  her  fleets  and  ar- 
mies she  holds  the  ascendancy  in  her  own  quarter  of  the 
globe,  and  can  involve  it  in  the  flames  of  war  or  pacify  it 
at  pleasure.  The  friend  of  mankind  is  more  deeply  inte- 
rested by  the  efforts  of  the  English  to  diffuse  European 
knowledge,  science,  and  civilization,  among  the  Hindoos 
under  their  sway.  To  their  honour  be  it  also  remarked, 
that  they  strive  assiduously  to  multiply  and  improve  the 
schools  of  the  natives.  The  College  of  Calcutta  is  one 
of  the  most  admirable  institutions  in  which  youths  des- 
tined for  official  situations  receive  a  suitable  education. 
To  their  honour  be  it  further  observed  that  the  conquerors, 
though  unable  suddenly  to  illuminate  with  the  light  of 
Christianity  the  confused  religious  notions  which  the  Hin- 


IIIXDOOSTAtf.  o* 

uoos  have  inherited  from  remote  antiquity,  are  yet  ear- 
nestly bent  on  diminishing  the  effects  of  many  of  those 
notions.  For,  as  the  women  of  the  two  highest  Hindoo 
castes  were  accustomed,  in  the  days  of  Alexander  and 
Cicero,  and  assuredly  at  a  much  earlier  period,  to  burn 
themselves  of  their  own  accord,  with  all  their  valuables, 
at  the  death  of  their  husbands,  they  still  continue  the 
practice  in  our  times.  Widows  of  the  inferior  castes 
submit  to  be  buried  alive.  During  the  summer  of  1812, 
more  than  one  hundred  widows  of  deceased  Bramins  as- 
cended the  funeral  pile  and  were  consumed  together  with 
the  bodies  of  their  husbands  ;  and  it  is  calculated  that  in 
the  ten  years  from  181rj  to  1824  inclusive,  the  total  num- 
ber of  females  who  thus  sacrificed  themselves  amounted 
to  5997  in  Bengal,  and  in  the  whole  of  British  India  to 
G632. 

The  original  copy  of  the  ancient   law  prescribes  that 
the  pile  shall  be  set  on  fire  before  the  arrival  of  the  widow, 
that  she  may  have  her  free  choice  till  the  very  last  moment. 
In  1818  the  English  authorities  insisted  on  the  literal  ful- 
filment of  this  ordinance  in  the   philanthropic    hope  of 
saving  the  lives  of  two  young  and  lovely  widows.     It  was 
expected  that  what  the  most  urgent  entreaties  failed  to 
accomplish  might  be  effected  by  the  natural  horror  which 
the  sight  of  the  flames  would   produce.     All  was  to  no 
purpose.     The  self-devoted  victims,   after  conjuring  the 
assembled  concourse  of  people  never   more  to  obstruct 
affectionate  wives  in  a  similar  manner  in  the  performance 
of  a  sacred  duty,  leaped  into  the  flaming  pile  and  perished. 
The  Marquis  Wellesley,  while  governor-general  of  In- 
dia, laboured,  but  to  no  purpose,  to  check  the  horrid  prac- 
tice.    His  efforts,  however,  succeeded  in  1802  in  putting 
a  stop  to  the  sacrifice  of  children  to  the  idol  at  Juggernaut, 
in  consequence  of  vows  made  by  the  parents.     Infants 
were  formerly  exposed  or  thrown  to  the  crocodiles  and 
sharks  in  the  Ganges  or  the  Lake  of  Jilka.     In  like  man- 
ner, Colonel  Walker   of  the   Company's   service  found 
means,  in  1812,  to  prevail  on  some  independent  tribes  of 
the  peninsula  of  Guzerat  to  abolish  almost  entirely  the 
legal  murder  of  the  female  infants  of  people  of  the  higher 
classes.     In  the  year  1804  alone,  the  number  of  the  un- 


38  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

fortunate  infants  thus  disposed  of  in  those  districts  wa> 
estimated  at  about  seven  thousand  ! 

Though  these  as  well  as  other  barbarities  and  degrada- 
tions may  be  in  a  great  measure  the  effects  of  ancient 
prejudices  or  vices  in  social  order,  still  it  is  the  religious 
notions  of  these  people  that  in  general  produce  and  main- 
tain their  prejudices  and  manners,  as  well  as  their  civil  in- 
stitutions. Thus  the  four  principal  castes  of  the  Hindoos, 
with  their  eighty-four  subdivisions,  have  sprung  solely  from 
their  most  ancient  religious  notions  ;  or  what  is  yet  more 
probable,  this  fruit  of  the  most  execrable  tyranny  was 
sanctioned  and  perpetuated  by  religion.  Hence  millions 
of  the  ablest  and  most  useful  persons,  because  they  belong 
to  the  lowest  castes,  are  doomed  on  account  of  their  birth 
to  scorn  and  degradation  as  long  as  they  live. 

Unless  the  nation  be  enlightened  by  a  more  humane, 
or  rather  a  more  divine  religion,  any  real  exaltation  of  its 
character  is  out  of  the  question.  Hence  it  has  remained 
for  thousands  of  years  between  the  Indus  and  the  Ganges 
confined  within  the  narrow  circle  of  its  notions,  customs, 
and  way  of  life.  As  it  was  found  by  Alezander  of  Mace- 
don  more  than  two  thousand  years  ago,  as  it  is  described 
by  Diodorus  Siculus  and  Arrian,  so  we  still  see  it  clinging 
to  ancient  usages,  fettered,  nay,  petrified  as  it  were  by  the 
system  of  castes.  It  remains  a  visible  relic  of  long  by- 
gone ages,  attesting  their  existence,  like  the  pyramids  of 
Egypt  amidst  the  other  works  of  human  hands. 

Hence  the  efforts  that  are  now  making  for  the  diffusion 
of  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  among  the  Hindoos,  are 
of  more  importance  in  their  results  for  the  history  of  the 
world,  than  all  the  plans  of  conquest  and  legislative  mea- 
sures of  the  East  India  Company :  for  the  ideas  revealed 
to  mankind  through  Jesus  will  infuse  new  life  in  that  de- 
licious climate,  and  as  it  were  create  a  new  world. 

For  some  centuries  past  attempts  have  been  made  to 
introduce  Christianity  among  the  Indians  ;  but  they  were 
attended  with  little  success.  There  was  never  any  want 
indeed  of  inspired  men,  who  would  gladly  have  prosecuted 
*he  work  commenced  by  their  predecessors.  It  was  not 
Uie  indocility  of  the  Hindoos,  neither  was  it  the  long  series 
of  wars  carried  on  in  the  country,  but  the  selfish  mer 


UINDOOSTATs.  80 

jantile  policy  of  England,  reckless  of  every  thing  but 
money,  that  proved  the  principal  obstruction  to  the  diffu- 
sion of  the  word  of  God.  The  Directors  of  the  Easf 
India  Company  even  forbade  the  propagation  of  purer 
religious  notions,  considering  them  as  not  requisite  for  the 
consolidation  of  their  authority  over  their  immense  pos- 
sessions, or  rather  perhaps  as  dangerous.  With  the  same 
principles  of  government,  agreeably  to  which  European 
sovereigns  at  the  present  day  would  fain  check  the  pro- 
gress of  knowledge  among  their  subjects,  the  Directors 
of  the  East  India  Company  cared  not  for  all  the  abomi- 
nations and  mischiefs  arising  from  Indian  prejudices,  so 
long  as  their  Asiatic  vassals  only  performed  and  paid 
what  they  were  required  to  pay  and  perform.  No  mis- 
sionary therefore  durst  show  himself  in  India  without  per- 
mission,  and  that  permission  was  very  rarely  granted. 
To  confirm  themselves  in  the  possession  of  their  con- 
quests, they  even  opened  the  avenues  to  the  most  import 
ant  offices  to  Muhamedans  and  Hindoos  in  preference  to 
Christians  :  nay,  while  with  ostentatious  tolerance  they 
afforded  the  greatest  facilities  for  the  propagation  of  the 
Muhamedan  faith,  scarcely  any  care  was  taken  to  impress 
by  external  appearances  the  slightest  respect  for  Chris- 
tianity. The  agents  of  the  Society  for  Propagating  the 
Gospel,  which  since  1698  has  made  the  diffusion  of  Chris- 
tianity in  Asia  its  favourite  pursuit,  and  in  our  times  those 
of  the  Catholic  Missionary  Society,  have  even  been 
obliged  occasionally  to  seek  in  the  Danish  settlements  a 
residence  for  their  missionaries,  which  was  denied  them 
in  British  India. 

The  only  Protestant  mission  which  received  any  pro- 
tection was  on  the  coast  of  Coromandel,  where  Lu- 
theran preachers,  supported  by  the  London  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  have  been  for  a  century 
past  actively  engaged.  Such  has  been  the  success  of 
their  labours,  that  they  have  collected  around  them  a  con- 
gregation of  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  Christian  Hindoos. 
On  the  other  hand,  when,  at  a  more  recent  period,  other 
missionaries  found  their  way  to  India  without  the  Com- 
pany's permission,  through  the  Danish  settlement  of 
Serampore,  those  who  were   afterwards  despatched  to 


39  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

supply  the  places  of  the  first  on  their  decease  were  sen; 
out  of  the  country  by  order  of  the  Directors.  This  was 
«he  effect  of  narrow-minded,  selfish,  mercantile  policy — 
the  same  which  even  at  the  present  day  would  not  blush 
to  raise  its  voice  against  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade 
and  of  slavery.  Verily  the  Attilas  and  Robespierres  are 
not  the  only  masters  who,  for  the  lust  of  money  and  do- 
minion, would  not  stick  at  the  slaughter  of  their  fellow- 
creatures.  There  are  more  petty  soul-crushing  despots, 
who,  to  be  themselves  the  only  men,  would  fain  transform 
the  rest  of  their  species  into  brutes. 

With  the  year  1813,  however,  when  the  Directors  of 
the  East  India  Company  were  obliged  to  enter  into  nego 
Nations  with  the  British  government  and  the  Parliament  foi 
a  new  lease,  if  I  may  so  express  it,  of  their  Asiatic  do 
minions,  a  change  took  place  in  the  situation  of  India. 
The  benevolent  Dr.  Claudius  Buchanan,  who,  in  hi? 
travels  through  the  extensive  peninsula  on  this  side  of  the 
Ganges,  had  witnessed  the  baneful  effects  of  that  timid 
mercantile  policy  to  which  I  have  adverted,  had  at  the 
same  time  the  courage  to  expose  all  its  vileness.  The 
Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge  in 
London  laid  the  deplorable  state  of  religion  and  the 
conduct  of  the  directors  in  regard  to  India  before  the 
public  and  before  Parliament,  and  showed  what  inhuman 
art  and  assiduity  were  employed  to  deprive  about  sixty 
millions  of  British  subjects  in  that  quarter  of  all  opportu- 
nity of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the  Christian  faith. 
Between  the  15th  of  February  and  the  12th  of  June, 
thirty-six  petitions,  numerously  signed,  were  presented  to 
both  houses  on  this  important  subject. 

At  length  it  was  proposed  in  Parliament  that  the  British 
oossessions  in  the  East  should  have  in  future  an  inde- 
pendent church  establishment,  and  that  it  should  be  placed 
under  the  superintendence  of  a  bishop  and  three  arch- 
deacons. On  this  occasion  inveterate  prejudice,  self- 
interest,  and  disguised  intolerance,  took  the  alarm  and 
loudly  opposed  what  duty,  humanity,  piety,  and  sound 
reason,  alike  dictated.  The  minister,  (Lord  Castlereagh) 
however,  supported  by  Wilberforee,  Smith,  Thornton,  and 
other  philanthropists,  espoused  the  sacred  cause  of  Chris 


HINDOOSTAN.  91 

lianily  against  Christians  and  proved  victorious.  The 
measure  was  carried  in  the  lower  House  by  a  great  ma 
jority,  and  passed  through  the  upper  without  opposition. 

A  worthy  and  pious  divine,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Thomas  Fan- 
shaw  Middleton,  was  selected  to  be  the  first  bishop  ol 
India,  and  Calcutta  was  fixed  upon  for  the  episcopal 
see  of  the  British  church  in  the  East.  That  vain  appre- 
hension lest  the  diffusion  of  Christianity  in  India  might 
occasion  civil  disturbances  and  insurrections,  which  some 
already  felt  or  at  least  strove  to  excite  in  England,  ha? 
since  subsided.  It  was  merely  the  offspring  of  prejudice, 
ignorance,  or  pride  ;  for  almost  all  the  ancient  sovereign 
families  of  the  Hindoos  are  sunk  into  such  complete  de 
pendence  on  the  British  government,  that  they  feel  no 
disposition  to  resistance,  especially  if  they  are  justly  deall 
with,  and  not  subjected  to  restraint  in  matters  of  religion. 
which  is  adverse  to  the  spirit  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ. 

Since  that  year  ten-fold  zeal  has  animated  the  Pro- 
testant institutions  for  the  conversion  of  Hindoostan, 
which,  before  another  century  has  elapsed,  cannot  fail  to 
produce  a  total  revolution  of  ideas,  a  great  change  ot 
manners,  and  an  absolute  renovation  in  the  character  of 
its  inhabitants.  Admirable  as  the  generous  enthusiasm 
of  the  British  Societies  is  on  the  one  hand,  so  touch- 
ing on  the  other  is  the  disinterested  devotedness  of  those 
who  bid  adieu  for  ever  to  their  relatives,  their  country, 
and  European  enjoyments,  to  pass  the  rest  of  their 
lives  under  great  privations  among  the  Hindoos,  and 
like  the  first  disciples  of  the  Saviour  to  proclaim  the 
love  of  God,  his  paternal  relation  to  man,  the  retribu- 
tion of  eternity,  together  with  the  duties  of  humanity. 
The  activity  of  the  numerous  Bible  Societies,  which 
provide  translations  of  the  sacred  records  of  Chris- 
tianity in  all  the  languages  of  Hindoostan,  and  annual!) 
distribute  many  thousand  copies  of  them,  promotes  in  no 
small  degree  the  labours  of  the  pious  heralds  of  Christ. 
Hindoos,  Muhamedans,  Persians,  Chinese,  and  Catholic 
Christians,  now  read  the  word  of  God — children  read  it 
in  the  schools — Bramins  read  it  from  curiosity  ;  and  those 
sublime  truths,  expressed  in  a  child-like  spirit,  which  en- 
lighten the  reason,  solve  the  profoundest  problems  of  life. 


32  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY*. 

reveal  God,  eternity  and  humanity,  in  admirable  connex-> 
ion,  operate  quietly  yet  powerfully  on  the  heart  and  un- 
derstanding. 

I  shall  not  here  advert  to  the  Christian  congregations  of 
the  Britisli  and  other  Europeans  in  their  cities  and  for- 
tresses along  the  coasts  of  India,  or  in  the  interior  of  the 
country,  nor  to  their  old  and  numerous  churches  and 
schools.  These  are  well  known — they  are  mentioned  in 
every  Geography.  My  purpose  is  to  show,  in  a  rapid 
sketch,  how  far  the  preachers  of  the  Christian  faith  have 
penetrated  and  spread  themselves  in  British  India. 

One  of  the  oldest  British  missions  is  that  of  Madras. 
So  early  as  the  year  1728,  some  Lutheran  ministers 
arrived  in  this  populous  city,  containing  upwards  of  three 
hundred  thousand  Malabars,  Chinese,  Armenians,  Hin- 
doos, black  Jews,  Muhamedans,  Europeans,  and  Mcs- 
tizes,  where  they  found  abundant  opportunities  of  satisfy- 
ing their  pious  wishes.  Here,  as  well  as  in  the  whole 
country  round,  great  things  have  since  been  accomplished. 
In  this  province  is  the  most  celebrated  place  to  which  the 
East  India  Catholics  perform  pilgrimage,  the  reputed 
grave  of  Thomas,  the  apostle,  at  Moliapore ;  in  this 
province  too  is  Bell's  celebrated  school  for  Hindoo 
children  at  Egmore  ;  and,  besides  the  ancient  Christian 
congregations  established  by  the  Portuguese  and  the 
Danes,  many  new  ones  have  sprung  up,  as,  for  instance, 
those  at  Sadras  and  \V03peri,  near  Madras.  The  Lu- 
theran missions  at  Cuddalore  are  only  about  ten  years 
younger.  Those  of  Tanjore,  commenced  since  1766, 
are  now  extremely  flourishing. 

The  capital  of  the  kingdom  of  Madura,  dependent  on 
the  British,  is  Tritchinopoli.  Here  too  dwell  several 
thousands  of  converts  belonging  to  the  different  Christian 
churches.  It  was  here,  as  well  as  in  the  kingdom  of 
Tanjore,  that  the  truly  eminent  servant  of  God,  Frederic 
Schwartz,  a  native  of  Sonnenberg,  in  the  New  Mark  of 
Brandenberg,  a  man  imbued  with  the  heroic  spirit  of  the 
primitive  confessors  of  Christianity,  did  infinite  good  by 
preaching  the  Gospel  for  nearly  half  a  century.  He  was 
a  father  to  his  converts,  to  his  friends,  and  to  his  foes. 
At  the  head  of  the  latter  were  the  crafty  and  malignant 


HINDOOSTAN.  9S 

Jesuits  of  Tanjore.  In  spite  of  voluntary  poverty,  stili 
rich  for  the  poor,  teaching  and  doing  good  were  his 
habitual  occupations.  Through  his  means  Christianity 
spread  into  the  heart  of  the  dominions  of  Hyder  Ali,  who 
iiad  a  high  esteem  for  the  evangelical  patriarch  ;  to  his 
labours  was  owing  the  commencement  of  many  Christian 
congregations  ;  and  through  his  co-operation  arose  the 
numerous  provincial  schools  of  the  kingdom  of  Tanjore, 
which  have  been  productive  of  such  beneficial  effects. 
The  European  and  Hindoo  disciples  trained  by  him  are 
still  prosecuting  the  good  work  in  the  spirit  of  theii 
master.  Serfodjee,  therajah  of  Tanjore,  caused  a  monu- 
ment to  be  erected  for  him  in  the  year  1801,  in  the  church 
at  Tanjore,  and  founded  a  school  in  memory  of  him,  at  a 
village  not  far  from  his  capital,  for  the  maintenance  and 
education  of  fifty  poor  Christian  children.  Such  was  the 
affectionate  reverence  of  this  Indian  prince  for  the  ex- 
cellent Schwartz.  How  rarely  are  such  honours  paid  by 
European  sovereigns  to  the  most  meritorious  teachers  ol 
their  subjects  ! 

The  whole  country  around  the  great  city  of  Calcutta, 
the  capital  of  Bengal,  and  the  most  important  commercial 
city  of  modern  Asia,  Canton  excepted,  is  now  traversed 
by  Protestant  preachers  of  the  Gospel.  In  these  parts 
there  are  few  villages  without  Christians,  without  schools, 
without  Bibles.  In  Calcutta  itself  a  school-house  for 
eight  hundred  Hindoo  children  of  both  sexes  was  erected 
by  the  missionaries. 

In  1822,  schools  for  the  education  of  native  females 
were  begun  in  the  same  city,  and  there  are  now  five  hun- 
dred receiving  instruction  in  reading,  writing,  and  needle- 
work. The  sum  of  43,000  rupees  has  been  collected  for 
the  foundation  of  a  Central  School  there,  20,000  being 
contributed  by  a  native  rajah,  and  18,000  raised  by  the  ex- 
ertions of  the  ladies  of  Calcutta  ;  and  the  first  stone  of 
the  building  was  laid  in  May,  14327,  by  the  lady  of  the 
governor-general.  The  foundation  of  such  schools  must 
be  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  powerful  means  of  impro 
ving  the  Hindoo  character. 

The  Church  Missionary  Society  alone  has  now  esta- 
blished Missionary  stations — 1.  In  the  Presidency  of  Ben 


l34  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

gal ;  at  Calcutta,  Burdwan,  Buxar,  Gorruckpore,  Benare^ 
Chunar,  Allahabad,  Cawnpore,  Agra,  Merut,  and  Delhi 
— 2.  In  the  Presidency  of  Madras ;  at  Madras,  Poona- 
mallee,  Mayaveram,  Palamcottah,  Cotym,  Allepic,  Co- 
chin, Tellicherry,  and  Nellore — 3.  In  the  Presidency  of 
Bombay  ;  at  Bombay,  and  Basseen,  in  the  North  Concan 
— 4.  In  the  Island  of  Ceylon  ;  fit  Cotta,  Candy,  Badda- 
game  and  Nellore.  In  these  stations  there  are  twenty- 
eight  missionaries  who  have  received  ordination 

The  same  Society  has  a  seminary  near  Madras  for 
training  up  young  men  as  schoolmasters  and  assistants  in 
the  work  of  the  missions.  If  is  proposed  that  this  insti- 
tution shall  be  sufficiently  elusive  to  afford  instruction  to 
sixty  students,  not  only  in  theology,  English,  and  the  an- 
cient languages,  but  also  in  Tamul,  Gentoo,  and  Sanscrit  ; 
and  that  a  fourth  part  of  these  students  shall  be  country- 
born  and  the  rest  natives. 

At  the  instance  of  Bishop  Middleton,  a  college  for  the 
education  of  missionaries,  which  received  the  name  of 
Bishop's  College,  was  erected  in  1821  at  Calcutta.  The 
expense  of  the  building  was  defrayed  out  of  the  donations 
of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  and  the  Society  for  the  Pro- 
pagation of  the  GospeW  which  contributed  £5000  each. 
The  college  is  the  property  of  the  latter,  and  that  Society 
is  responsible  for  its  support,  towards  which  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  lias  annually  voted  the  sum  of  £1000. 

The  like  activity  prevails  in  the  Danish  town  of  Seram- 
pore,  about  twelve  miles  northward  of  Calcutta,  and  in  its 
environs.  Here  English  Baptist  missionaries,  who  were 
not  permitted  to  settle  in  the  possessions  of  the  British 
East  India  Company,  have  been  assiduously  labouring  since 
1799,  chiefly  in  translating  and  printing  the  Scriptures  and 
religious  works  in  the  languages  of  the  East.  Here  too 
they  have  founded  a  college  for  the  education  of  native 
youth,  for  which  a  royal  charter  of  incorporation  has  re- 
cently been  obtained  from  his  Danish  majesty. 

In  the  town  of  Cutvva,  in  the  district  of  Jessore,  about 
ninety  miles  further  north  than  Serampore  ;  at  Gumalty. 
near  the  town  of  Gour,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north- 
ward of  Calcutta  ;  at  Balasore,  in  the  vicinitv  of  the  tem 


1IIND00STAN.  95 

pie  of  Jaggcrnaut,  on  the  Gulf  of  Bengal,  in  the  province 
of  Orissa ;  at  Agra,  the  ancient,  now  half  desolate  me- 
tropolis of  the  great  Moguls  ;  at  Nagpore,  the  Mahratta 
capital  of  Berar  ;  at  Patna,  the  great  city  of  Bahar,  which 
is  said  to  contain  half  a  million  of  inhabitants  ;  at  Bom- 
bay ;  at  Chittagong,  on  the  easternmost  frontiers  of  Ben- 
gal, near  the  Birman  forests ;  at  Sirdhana,  northward  of 
Delhi,  not  far  from  the  country  of  the  Seikhs  ;  at  Pandua, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Chinese  mountains  ;  at  Allahabad,  where 
the  Jumna  falls  into  the  sacred  Ganges,  the  celebrated 
place  of  resort  of  Indian  pilgrims  and  devotees — in  coun- 
ries  where  formerly  Europeans  were  seldom  seen,  and 
preachers  of  the  Gospel  never,  now  dwell  British  mission- 
aries, teaching  the  people  and  founding  schools. 

Not  Europeans  only,  but  converted  Hindoos,  converted 
Bramins,  converted  Armenians  and  Muhamedans,  also 
proclaim  the  glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel.  An  astonishing- 
emulation  prevails,  and  nowhere  is  it  unproductive.  The 
missionaries  teach  with  zeal  and  baptize  with  caution, 
The  number  of  the  baptized  would  annually  be  greater, 
were  not  the  Muhamedans  as  well  as  the  Hindoos  appre- 
hensive of  losing,  by  the  public  profession  of  Christianity, 
the  consideration  which  they  enjoy  among  their  own  peo- 
ple, arid  with  it  the  means  of  subsistence.  Hence  most 
of  the  converts  belong  to  the  lower  classes,  though  there 
are  some  from  the  higher  Indian  castes  :  nay,  it  is  fre- 
quently the  case  that  even  schoolmasters  who  are  still  pa- 
gans teach  Hindoo  children  to  read  the  Bible. 

Many  of  the  new  converts  receive  in  baptism  names  not 
usual  elsewhere  among  Christians,  but  worthy  of  imitation, 
for  instance  :  Abdool- Messeeh,  Servant  of  Messiah  ;  Igna- 
yut  Messeeh,  Gift  of  Messiah  Nuwazisch  Messeeh,  Be- 
neficence of  Messiah;  as  three  Indian  preachers  at  Agra 
are  actually  named  ;  or  Taleb  Messeeh,  Disciple  of  Mes- 
siah ;  Burrukut  Ulla,  Blessing  of  God.  It  is  already  in 
contemplation  to  found  higher  academical  institutions 
for  training  missionaries  from  among  the  natives — an  un- 
dertaking which  cannot  fail  to  be  crowned  witli  signal 
success. 

How  willing  and  zealous  soever  a  missionary  from  Eu- 
rope may  be,  the  moment  he  sets  foot  on  the  soil  of  India 


$Q  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

he  has  to  encounter  many  unexpected  circumstances  which 
tend  to  shake  the  firmness  of  his  resolutions.  The  spare 
feeble  forms  of  the  natives  which  meet  him  there  in  all 
their  squalidness,  whose  uncovered  limbs  shock  the  eye 
and  whose  harsh  sounding  language  offends  the  ear,  are 
the  more  repulsive  from  their  contrast  with  the  haughty 
carriage  and  the  more  athletic  figures  of  the  European  set- 
tlers, who  move  about  among  them  like  beings  of  a  higher  or- 
der. If  he  conquers  himself  so  far  as  to  become  their  equal, 
their  friend,  he  has  to  struggle  for  years  with  the  acquisi- 
tion of  the  language,  and  still  longer  with  the  prejudices 
of  the  Europeans  against  those  despised  creatures.  For 
even  the  most  philanthropic  of  the  European  settlers  fre- 
quently deem  it  impossible  to  conduct  the  morally  crippled 
Hindoos  to  Christianity,  and  hence  regard  the  undertaking 
as  a  vain  attempt  of  inexperienced  euthusiasm  or  want  of 
judgment.  The  common  Hindoo,  on  the  other  hand, 
full  of  cunning  and  selfishness  at  the  same  time  servile, 
cringing,  and  mistrustful,  seems  from  the  effect  of  the  sys- 
tem of  castes,  entailed  for  thousands  of  years  upon  his 
race,  to  be  for  a  long  series  of  generations  to  come  reli- 
giously and  morally  incurable.  This  is  the  work  of  orien- 
tal despotism. 

Besides  the  efforts  of  the  English  for  the  conversion  of 
the  Hindoos,  we  must  advert  to  those  commenced  at  the 
beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  on  the  coast  of  Coro- 
mandel,  and  the  chief  point  of  which  was  Tranquebar. 
King  Frederic  IV.  of  Denmark,  furnished  occasion  for 
them  by  the  liberal  foundation,  in  1706,  of  a  Missionary 
College  at  Copenhagen.  The  first  pupil  of  this  institution 
who  went  to  India  was  the  learned  and  philanthropic  Bar- 
tholomew Zicgenbalg.  The  work  begun  by  him  at  Tran- 
quebar was  prosecuted  by  others  in  the  same  pious  spirit, 
powerfully  supported  by  the  celebrated  Orphan-House  of 
Halle,  and  by  the  London  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 
Christian  Knowledge.  There  are  now  many  flourishing 
congregations  along  that  coast. 

All  that  has  hitherto  been  done  for  the  diffusion  of  the 
divinelight  among  the  people  of  Hindoostan  has  the  strong- 
er claims  to  admiration,  inasmuch  as  it  has  been  effected 
through  the  efforts  of  private  individuals  in  Europe,  espe 


HINDOOSTAN. 

cially  English  and  Germans.     Kings  and  princes,  amid 
the  magnificence  and  profusion  of  their  court  festivities 
were  too  poor  in  money  ano1  in  spirit  for  deeds  of  this  kind, 
worthy  of  superior  mortals^  who,  with  godlike  benevolence, 
love  even  the  people  of  distant  zones  as  their  neighbours 
Much,  however,  as  those  generous  philanthropists  have 
effected,  it  is  but  trivial  in  comparison  with  what  yet  remain 
to  be  accomplished  in  those  immense  regions. 

The  government  of  India  has  at  length  begun  to 
a  benevolent  interest  in  the  advancement  of  knowledge 
which  is  particularly  manifested  in  the  appointment  abou 
two  years  since  of  a  Committee  of  Public  Instruction  ai 
Calcutta.     There  are  two  establishments  at  Calcutta,  thi 
Mudrissa  or  Muhamedan    College,  and  the   Hindoo  Col 
lege,  which   are  under  the  direct  superintendence  of  this 
Committee,  who  have  also  under  their  care  the  Vidyalaya 
or  Anglo-Indian  College  at  Calcutta,  Colleges  at  Agra. 
Delhi,  and  Benares,  and  schools  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.      For  the  various  objects  of  the  Committee  an 
annual  sum  of  100,000  rupees   was  placed  at  their  dispo 
sal  ;   but,  in  order  that  they  might  be  put  at  the  commence  ■ 
inent  of  their  operations  in  possession  of  a  considerable 
fund  for  the  construction  of  buildings  and  other  temporary 
objects,  the  grant  was  made  to  take  effect  from  the  year 
1821-1822. 

Among  the  measures  adopted  by  the  Committee,  with 
the  sanction  of  government,  for  extending  the  cultivation 
of  useful  learning,  is  the  establishment  of  a  press  capable 
of  executing  work  in  every  oriental  type  likely  to  be  required 
on  that  side  of  India.  In  these  plans  they  are  seconded 
by  the  liberality  of  opulent  natives,  one  of  whom  has  placed 
at  their  disposal  the  sum  of  20,000  rupees,  a  second 
22,000,  and  a  third  50,000;  this  last  is  Budinath  Roy, 
whose  donation  of  20,000  for  the  promotion  of  the  edu 
cation  of  native  females  has  been  already  recorded.  Thes< 
sums  will  be  appropriated  to  the  endowment  of  scholar- 
ships in  the  Anglo-Indian  College. 

The  government  of  Madras  is  following  the  example 
thus  set  by  the  supreme  government  in  respect  of  native 
education,  by  the  appointment  of  a  similar  Committee  of. 
Public  Instruction  for  that  presidency     It  is  in  contem 
9 


U3  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

plation  to  endow  schools  in  various  parts  of  the  province, 
under  its  control,  and  to  found  an  institution  at  Madras  for 
the  preparation  of  teachers. 

I  cannot  conclude  this  survey  of  the  operations  of  Pro- 
testants for  the  conversion  of  the  people  of  Hindoostan, 
without  adverting  to  the  early  removal  of  the  first  two  pre- 
lates appointed  to  the  newly-founded  see  of  Calcutta. 
Bishop  Middleton  died  in  18_'2,  and  his  successor,  Dr.  He- 
ber,  expired  suddenly  at  Tritchinopoli  in  April,  1827.  In 
little  more  than  two  years,  the  latter  had  visited  almost 
every  station  throughout  the  wide  extent  of  the  British 
possessions  where  a  Christian  church  could  be  assembled  ; 
ind  he  delighted  to  consider  himself  as  the  chief  missionary 
of  India.  When  the  news  of  his  decease  reached  Eng- 
land, the  Committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
which,  as  I  have  elsewhere  stated,  had  voted  1000Z.  annu- 
ally to  Bishop's  College,  Calcutta,  resolved,  in  token  of 
respect  for  his  lordship's  memory,  to  apply  the  grant  for 
18-6,  and  such  portion  of  former  grants  as  had  not  been 
appropriated,  in  founding  two  theological  scholarships  in 
that  college,  for  the  education  of  missionaries,  to  bear  the 
name  of  bishop  Heber's  Missionary  Scholarships.  It  was 
at  the  same  time  resolved  that  a  memorial  should  be  pre- 
sented to  government  and  to  the  Directors  of  the  East 
India  Company,  representing  the  necessity  of  appointing 
more  than  one  bishop  to  so  immense  a  diocess  ;  as  it  is 
impracticable  for  any  prelate  to  superintend  so  vast  a 
charge,  and  both  bishop  Middleton  and  bishop  Heber  are 
considered  to  have  sacrificed  their  lives  in  the  performance 
of  duties  which  they  were  anxious  conscientiously  to  dis- 
charge. In  this  memorial  the  Missionary  Society  has 
been  joined  by  the  Societies  for  Propagating  the  Gospel 
and  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge,  and  it  will  no 
doubt  have  due  weight  in  the  quarters  to  which  it  has  been 
addressed. 

Less  has  been  achieved  by  the  Catholics  than  by  the 
Protestants  in  the  countries  of  Hindoostan  :  nay,  many  of 
the  Catholic  congregations,  which  are  by  far  the  most  nu- 
merous from  the  river  Crishna  to  Cape  Comorin,  are  in  the 
most  neglected  condition.  The  chief  superintendence  of 
the  Catholic  church  in  India  belongs  by  right  to  two  arch- 


IIINDOOSTAN.  99 

bishops,  one  of  whom  at  Goa  is  styled  metropolitan  and 
primate  of  the  East.  The  other  resides  at  Cranganore. 
on  the  coast  of  Malabar,  in  the  British  presidency  of  Bom- 
bay :  but  the  latter  see  has  been  vacant  ever  since  the  end 
of  the  last  century,  and  it  has  hitherto  been  under  the  ad- 
ministration of  a  vicar-general  only,  appointed  by  the  me- 
tropolitan of  Goa. 

Under  these  archbishops  there  are  two  episcopal  sees, 
that  of  St.  Thomas,  near  Madras,  and  that  of  Cochin  :  but 
these  have  also  been  vacant  since  the  beginning  of  this 
century,  and,  as  it  appears,  forgotten  by  the  court  of  Por- 
tugal during  the  vicissitudes  of  its  fortunes  at  home.  Here 
also  vicars-general,  appointed  by  the  metropolitan,  act  as 
substitutes  for  the  bishops.  All  tite'se  prelates  have  invari- 
ably been  nominated  by  the  kings  of  Portugal,  who  assert- 
ed their  right  of  patronage  over  the  East  India  church,  and 
even  denied  permission  to  other  Catholic  powers  to  send 
out  missionaries.  The  Romish  Curia,  however,  regardless 
of  this  claim,  appointed  from  the  tirst  bishops  in  partibus. 
by  the  title  of  vicars-apostolic,  who,  independent  of  the 
Portuguese  prelates,  were  subordinate  only  to  the  Con- 
gregation for  the  Propagation  of  the  Faith  at  Rome. 
There  are  at  present  three*  of  these  vicars-apostolic,  at 
Bombay,  at  Verapalli  in  Cochin,  and  at  Pondichery,  who 
have  under  them  missionaries  for  visiting  the  congrega- 
tions of  their  diocesses. 

According  to  the  statement  of  one  of  these  missiona- 
ries, the  Abbe  Dubois,  who  had  in  1815)  resided  and 
travelled  about  in  India  tor  the  spa'-e  of  twenty-five  years, 
about  four-fifths  of  the  population  of  the  Portuguese  pos- 
sessions are  Christians.  Under  the  immediate  superin- 
tendence of  the  metropolitan  of  Goa  there  are  about  five 
hundred  thousand  souls,  but  to  these  belong  also  the  Ca- 
tholics in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  about  one  hundred  and 
forty  thousand  in  number,  provided  with  numerous  black 
ministers,  educated  in  the  seminary  at  Goa.  Upwards  of 
two  thousand  Indo-Christian  priests  and  monks  are  under 
his  control 

The  bishopric  of  Cranganore,  which  extends  to  Madura 
and  the  banks  of  the  Crishna,  numbered  so  far  back  as  the 
middle  of  the  last  century  about  two  hundred  thousand 


100  SURVEY    OF   CIIBISTIATs'ITV. 

converted  Hindoos :  now  there  are  no  more  than  from 
ihirty  to  forty  thousand.  The  bishopric  of  St.  Thomas 
contains  about  sixty  thousand,  and  that  of  Cochin  only 
thirty  thousand. 

Of  the  three  Romish  vicars-apostolic,  the  vicar  of  Bom- 
bay has  scarcely  more  than  ten  thousand  souls  in  his  dio- 
cess  ;  the  vicar  of  Pondichery  from  thirty-four  to  thirty- 
six  thousand,  and  the  vicar  of  Verapalli  eighty  thousand 
Christians  b6rn.  The  missionaries  of  the  latter  alone  con- 
tinue to  make  converts  among  the  Hindoos,  baptizing  an- 
nually four  or  five  hundred  adult  heathen.  For  this  duty 
partly  Italian  Carmelites  and  partly  native  priests  are  em- 
ployed. In  the  environs  of  Verapalli,  Cochin,  and  Tra- 
vancorc,  on  the  Malabar  coast,  the  tribe  of  the  Nairs  forms 
the  greatest  part  of  the  population.  They  are  the  most 
rigid  of  all  the  Hindoos  in  the  observance  of  the  ordinances 
relative  to  castes,  the  slightest  violation  of  which  entails^ 
irrevocable  expulsion  on  the  offender.  This  circumstance 
promotes  the  object  of  the  missionaries.  The  culprits, 
abandoned  by  all  their  friends  and  clan,  have  no  alterna- 
tive but  to  perish  of  hunger  or  to  turn  Christians  or  Mu- 
hamedans:  by  far  the  greater  number  choose  the  Koran  in 
preference  to  Christianity  ;  because  the  Moslem  faith 
grants  greater  latitude  and  more  temporal  indulgence. 

Under  an  apostolic  prefecture,  appointed  by  and  de- 
pendent on  the  Propaganda  of  Rome,  there  is  also  a  mis- 
sion of  Italian  Capuchins  at  Madras.  They  number  in 
their  district  about  twelve  thousand  Christians.  A  cen- 
tury ago  the  Capuchins  penetrated  through  the  heart  ol 
Ilindoostan  to  Nepaul  and  Tibet,  preaching  the  cross,  but 
to  very  little  purpose  :  this  was  also  the  case  with  the 
former  missions  of  the  French  Jesuits  and  the  Portuguese 
Augustines.  Relics  of  their  activity  are  still  to  be  seen 
in  unfrequented  chapels  at  Agra,  Lucknow,  Patna,  and 
other  places,  in  the  province  of  Bahar.  The  small  con- 
gregations consist  not  so  much  of  converted  Hindoos,  as 
descendants  of  the  Portuguese  and  half-caste  persons, 
that  is,  the  offspring  of  the  intermarriages  of  Europeans 
with  Indian  women. 

In  the  province  of  Tinnevelly,  belonging  to  the  Madras 
presidency,  the  Roman  Catholics  have  fifty-three  churches 


IIINDOOSTAK.  101 

die  congregations  of  which  amount  to  thirty  thousand 
persons.  They  are  divided  into  eight  districts,  each  ol 
which  is  committed  to  the  charge  of  a  country-born  Por- 
tuguese priest,  educated  at  Goa  ;  but  about  half  these 
districts  were  vacant  in  1822.  For  these  thirty  thousand 
souls  there  is  but  one  school,  containing  about  forty 
scholars.  To  the  ceremonies  of  the  Komish  church  these 
nominal  Christians  unite  the  customs  of  the  heathen, 
drawing  the  rutt  and  carrying  the  images  of  the  saints  in 
procession  just  as  the  Hindoos  do  those  of  their  deities. 
The  distinction  of  castes  is  also  observed  among  them. 

In  the  same  province  such  extraordinary  success  has, 
since  1823,  attended  the  labours  of  the  agents  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  that  in  September,  1825,  they 
had  in  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  villages  more  than  a 
thousand  families  under  Christian  instruction. 

The  decline  of  the  Catholic  church  in  Hindoostan  is 
-carcely  so  great  as  the  decline  of  the  religious  spirit  itself 
in  its  congregations.  This  the  missionaries  know  and 
deplore.  Most  of  the  Catholic  Hindoos  live  in  the  gross- 
est ignorance.  With  all  the  meanness  entailed  on  them 
by  their  former  reprobate*  castes  they  generally  combine, 
as  Christians,  the  debauchery  and  licentiousness  of  the 
dregs  of  European  society  All  their  piety  is  confined 
to  the  observance  of  a  few  outward  ceremonies,  and  to 
the  recital  of  a  few  forms  of  prayer,  which  they  scarcely 
understand.  Of  the  higher  sense  of  duty,  of  the  elevation 
and  sanctification  of  the  heart  by  the  belief  in  God,  they 
have  not  the  slightest  notion.  They  are  the  same  heathen 
as  ever,  only  with  the  rosary  and  cross.  Saints  supply 
to  them  the  places  of  the  old  Hindoo  deities.  A  Hindoo 
and  a  Catholic  once  came  to  archdeacon  Corrie,  at  Agra, 
that  he  might  settle  a  dispute  which  had  arisen  between 
them  respecting  the  cause  of  a  recent  earthquake.  The 
Hindoo  swore  that  the  phenomenon  was  caused  by  the 
elephant,  which  bears  the  earth  on  his  back,  lifting  up 
one  of  his  legs  to  rest  it.  The  Christian,  on  the  contrary, 
maintained  that  it  was  occasioned  by  the  Virgin  Mary's 
transferring  the  earth  from  her  hand  to  that  of  her  son. 
in  order  to  take  a  little  repose. 

When  Tippoo  Sultan  set  about  converting  all  the  inha- 
9* 


iO£  SURVEY   OF    CURISTIAKITV.      , 

bitants  of  his  dominions  to  the  Koran,  he  suddenly  caused, 
in  the  year  1784,  all  the  Catholic  Christians  to  be  brought 
under  a  strong  escort  to  Seringapatam.  The  total  num- 
ber, men,  women,  and  children,  was  near  sixty  thousand 
He  insisted  on  their  becoming  Muhamedans  and  submit- 
ting to  circumcision.  The  people  had  no  scruple  to 
comply  with  his  commands.  Not  one  among  these  thou- 
sands conceived  the  idea  of  dying  rather  than  abjure  his 
religion.  After  Tippoo's  dovvnfal  the  apostates  returned 
and  reconciled  themselves  with  the  Christian  church,  as- 
serting with  Jesuitical  cunning,  that  their  recantation  was 
but  an  outward  show,  and  that  they  had  never  ceased  to 
cherish  the  true  faith  in  their  hearts. 

Why  Christianity  has  made  so  little  impression  and 
produced  so  little  improvement  of  the  heart  in  the  Catho- 
lic missions,  is  a  problem  easy  of  solution.  The  Romish 
ministers  were  in  general  satisfied  with  imparting  to 
their  converts  a  tew  obscure  notions  of  God,  the  Virgin 
Mary,  Christ  and  the  Saints,  of  hell,  purgatory,  and  heaven  ; 
they  taught  them  besides  to  join  in  a  few  of  the  ceremo- 
nies of  the  church,  and  the  Christian  was  complete.  The 
adults  remained  without  further  instruction  ;  the  children 
without  scholastic  education  ;  and  all  without  Bible  or 
book  of  devotion,  whence  they  might  have  derived  clearer 
conceptions  of  the  nature  of  the  doctrine  given  to  man- 
kind by  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

This  very  depravity  of  most  of  the  Catholic  Hindoos, 
or  "  Portuguese,"  as  they  are  called,  excites  only  a  hor- 
ror of  Christianity  in  the  minds  of  the  unconverted  In 
dians  ;  and  hence  well-disposed  persons,  when  they  have 
the  misfortune  to  be  excluded  from  their  caste,  betake 
hemselves  in  preference  to  the  religion  of  the  Prophet  of 
Mecca.  None  of  those  apostates,  indeed,  are  respected 
by  the  Asiatics.  For  though  these  discover  falsehood  in 
every  strange  doctrine,  still  they  cannot  bestow  their  con- 
fidence on  him  who  abandons  the  religion  of  his  ances- 
tors. In  foreign  creeds  they  perceive  error  only,  but  in 
apostacy  a  depraved  mind,  which  contaminates  itself  with 
the  guilt  of  perfidy,  or  wantonly  sports  with  sacred  things. 
But  still  they  judge  more  indulgently  of  one  who  goe? 
oxer  to  the  Koran  than  of  him   who  assumes  the  Cros? 


HXenXMKTAK  10t) 

of  the  Europeans  :  the  pride  of  the  Hindoo  and  the  Mooi 
.  looks  down  with  contempt  on  the  "  Franks,"  as  they  are 
termed.  These  are  considered  rather  as  subtle  sophists 
than  as  persons  of  sound  reason,  who,  to  gain  money 
and  to  squander  it  again,  renounce  their  country  and  their 
family,  justice,  truth,  and  humanity,  and  carry  misery  along 
with  them  where'    ,  they  go. 

On  the  Mai  ar  coast,  especially  in  the  territory  of 
Travancore,  there  are  still  many  Jacobites.  They  are 
commonly  called  Syrian  Christians,  partly  because  they 
use  in  their  liturgy  the  ancient  Syrian  language,  which  is 
no  longer  spoken  by  the  people,  and  partly  because  the 
original  seat  of  their  church  was  in  Syria.  Their  episco- 
pal see  of  Travancore,  to  which  belong  about  fifteen  thou- 
sand souls,  is  oneol  the  twenty-one  diocesses subordinate  to 
the  chair  of  the  patriarch  of  Der-Zaaferan,  in  Mesopota- 
mia, whom  I  have  already  mentioned  in  treating  of  the 
^tate  of  Christianity  in  Asia  Minor.  Of  course  the  Catho- 
lics and  Jacobites  in  this  country  heartily  despise  each 
other,  out  of  pure  Christian  affection,  though  they  differ 
merely  in  their  tenets  respecting  certain  divine  mysteries 
which  nobody  comprehends  For  the  rest,  they  closely 
resemble  one  another  in  three  points — in  their  hierarchical 
constitution,  for  the  Jacobites  also  have  bishops,  priests, 
and  inferior  clergy  ;  in  their  language,  as  the  Catholics 
too  employ  the  ancient  Syrian  in  their  churches  ;  and  in 
ihe  ignorance  and  depravity  of  both  clergy  and  Jaity^ 

The  Jacobites  pride  themselves,  if  not  on  their  Chris- 
tianity, at  least  on  the  antiquity  of  their  church,  as  the  first 
Christian  church  in  India.  They  are  not  to  be  persuaded 
that  Bar-Thomas,  a  Syrian,  was  their  apostle  :  but  they 
derive  their  origin  from  the  disciple  of  Jesus  of  the  same 
name,  from  whom  they  would  not  on  any  account  with- 
draw the  ancient  veneration,  in  order  to  transfer  it  to 
Peter  and  Paul.  They  go  on  pilgrimage  to  St.  Thomas,  or 
Meliapore,  where,  as  tradition  relates,  he  was  put  to  death 
by  the  Bramins,  and  to  Maleatore,  on  the  river  Feira,  in 
the  Travancore  territory,  where  he  is  said  to  have  preached 
and  baptized. 

Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  tradition  of  these  peo- 
ple that  the  apostle  Thomas  planted  Christianity  amon^r 


10  \  SURVEY   OF    CHRISTIAKITV. 

them,  yet  so  much  may  be  considered  as  established  be- 
yond contradiction  : — that  they  existed  here  as  a  well  re- 
gulated church  connected  with  the  Syrian  church  in  Per- 
sia so  early  as  the  year  535,  the  period  when  Cosmas 
travelled  to  this  coast — that  at  a  somewhat  later  period, 
but  certainly  prior  to  the  year  895,  considerable  grants, 
immunities,  and  precedences,  were  conferred  on  them  by 
one  of  the  Perumal  princes — and  that  the  greater  part  of 
these  privileges  have  been  .uninterruptedly  enjoyed  and 
are  now  visible  among  them.  Every  person  of  observa- 
tion, visiting  the  interior  of  the  country,  is  necessarily  led 
to  this  conclusion.  He  discovers  a  race  of  Christians,  dif- 
fering widely  in  their  general  manners  from  the  later  spe- 
cimens of  native  converts,  who,  from  the  time  of  the  Por- 
tuguese settlements,  have  been  so  numerous  on  the  coast — 
bearing  indeed  undoubted  marks  of  the  Syrian  original  and 
of  the  high  dignity  to  which,  in  former  times,  they  were 
raised — a  people,  in  short,  v\  ho  identify  themselves  with 
the  subjects  of  the  above  traditions,  and  to  whom  the 
names  of  Portuguese  and  Roman  Catholics  are  compara- 
tively new. 

At  the  time  of  their  first  discovery  by  the  Portuguese, 
the  Syrian  Christians  were  distinguished  by  their  scrupu- 
lous regard  to  truth  and  their  general  manliness  and  inde- 
pendence of  character,  and  considered  as  the  chief  strength 
of  the  nations  who  employed  them.  JNot  withstanding  the 
deterioration  which  has  since  taken  place,  the  chief  causes 
of  which  are  to  be  referred  to  the  appearance  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholics  on  these  shores,  and  the  contest  which  this 
church  has  consequently  had  to  sustain  for  three  centuries 
with  the  unremitted  vigilance,  force,  and  intrigue  of  a 
usurping  and  intolerant  hierarchy — the  mutual  fears,  suspi- 
cions, and  jealousies,  fomented  by  their  enemies,  and  ter- 
minating in  a  fatal  and  apparently  irreconcileable  schism 
in  their  own  body — the  destruction  of  their  best  ancient 
monuments,  during  the  short  calamitous  interval  in  which 
they  were  all  nominally  subjected  to  the  papal  power — 
together  with  the  interruption  of  that  regular  intercourse 
with  Syria,  on  the  feeling  of  which  depended  that  peculiar 
spirit  and  individuality  of  character  for  which  they  were 
%merly  so  distinguished — the  character  of  the  Syrian 


HINDOOSTAN.  106 

Christians  still  presents  many  points  of  superiority.  The 
duplicity  and  deceit  for  which  the  natives  of  India  are  pro- 
verbial are  not  features  of  their  character  ;  on  the  contra^ 
ry,  they  possess  in  no  small  degree  the  opposite  virtues  of 
honesty  and  plain-dealing,  accompanied  with  a  simplicity 
of  manner,  which  distinguish  them  in  the  eye9  ofthestran 
ger  from  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  country. 

It  is  probable  that  these  people  were  formerly  much 
more  numerous  than  they  are  at  present.  They  now 
reckon  up  eighty-eight  churches  belonging  to  their  body,  of 
which  fifty-rive  have  maintained  their  independence  of  the 
Roman  pontiff.  The  number  of  families  belonging  to  the 
latter  is  computed  at  thirteen  thousand.  The  number  of 
officiating  priests  called  catanars.  is  one  hundred  and 
forty-four.  These  are  wholly  supported  by  the  offerings 
of  the  laity  on  festivals,  and  the  administration  of  the 
occasional  rites  of  the  church,  which  for  the  most  part 
afford  very  scanty  support 

A  desire  for  the  improvement  of  the  state  of  this  church 
has  of  late  years  been  manifested  by  its  metropolitan,  and 
encouraged  by  the  English  missionaries  at  Cotym.  His 
objects  are  more  particularly  directed  to  the  circulation  of 
the  Scriptures  in  the  Syriac  and  vernacular  tongues,  with 
other  works  of  religious  and  general  information,  the 
instruction  of  the  clergy  and  of  youth,  and  the  erection 
and  enlargement  of  churches.  The  British  Government 
and  the  religious  societies  have  manifested  a  readiness  to 
co-operate  in  these  designs,  which  promise  to  be  produc- 
tive of  the  most  beneficial  results.  Major  Monro,  resi- 
dent of  the  East  India  Company  at  Travancore,  conceived 
in  1815  the  plan  of  erecting  a  school  for  the  education  of 
Syrian  priests  and  laymen  at  Cotym.  in  the  territory  of 
Travancor,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  British  Missionary 
Societies  he  carried  it  into  execution.  Here  Priests  and 
catanars,  or  inferior  ecclesiastics,  receive  instruction  in 
the  Syrian  language.  A  press  for  printing  Syrian  Bibles 
has  also  been  established.  Thus,  perhaps,  that  difference 
between  Catholics  and  Jacobites,  which,  centuries  ago, 
synods  vainly  attempted  to  do  away  with,  may  ultimatelv 
bo  removed  by  social  education, 


106  SURVEY    OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  before  Europeans  had  sef 
foot  on  Hither  fndia,  there  existed  a  small  flock  of  Chris- 
tians in  the  midst  of  inimical  Bramins  and  Muhamedans, 
and  that  it  had  maintained  itself  there  upwards  of  fourteen 
centuries.  Though  at  last  all  tl  at  remained  of  its  reli- 
gion was  a  confused  medley  of  superstitious  notions  and 
ceremonies,  still  it  adhered  to  them  with  invincible  con- 
stancy. But,  with  the  ignorant,  prejudice  and  custom 
are  the  substitutes  for  conviction,  and  are  therefore  as  dif- 
iicult  to  be  eradicated  as  the  latter.  Hence  it  is,  that 
many  religions  of  antiquity  and  many  churches  still  sub- 
sist, though  the  more  holy  spirit  in  which  they  originated 
has  long  been  extinct. 


CHAPTER  IX-. 

THE  PERSIAN  CHRISTIANS — ZABEANS SUFFAS. 

The  religion  of  the  Prophet  of  Mecca,  widely  as  it  is 
diffused  throughout  Asia,  and  zealously  as  it  is  supported 
by  its  professors,  has  not  less  degenerated  and  declined 
in  this  quarter  of  the  globe  than  the  religion  of  Jesus. 
Those  are  nevertheless  egregiouslv  mistaken,  who,  swayed 
by  partiality  or  inspired  by  the  divinity  of  the  Christian 
faith,  hope  to  propagate  it  with  the  greater  facility  among 
the  Muhamedans,  the  ruder  the  religious  notions  of  the 
latter  may  be. 

In  Persia  the  Zabeans  formed  long  since  a  sort  of  in- 
termediate link  between  the  Christians  and  the  Muhame- 
dans. We  are  yet  but  very  imperfectly  accpiainted  with 
the  origin  and  history  of  these  people,  who  are  usually 
considered  as  one  of  the  sects  which  have  sprung  from 
Islamism.  They  reverence  in  fact  the  Prophet  of  Mecca 
and  many  of  his  institutions,  because  they  deny  not  that 
God  has  revealed  himself  to  the  human  race  at  different 
times  and  under  various  circumstances  by  means  of  dele- 
gates :  but  they  attach  no  merit  to  pilgrimages  to  the  hoh 


1'EKSIA.  107 

unib.     They  assert  that  John  the  Baptist  was  their  origi 
nal  teacher,  and  practise  baptism  as  well  as  circumcision 
They  are  acquainted  with  the  Lord's   Supper,  and  pay 
devotion  to  the  cross  : — indeed  they  have  borrowed  some 
tiling  from  all  the  religions  which  at  different  times  have 
prevailed  in  Persia.     Still  there  is  no  way  less  likely   for 
effecting  a   union    between  Muiiamedans  and  Christians 
than  through  the  gates  of  the  Zabean  Church. 

The  Christians  of  Persia,  held  in  the  same  contempt 
there  as  the  Jews  in  other  countries,  belong  to  the  Arme- 
nian church,  which  has  degenerated  not  less  than  the 
Greek  under  Turkish  dominion.  In  former  times,  Rome 
sent  missionaries,  not  so  much  for  the  conversion  of  those 
who  were  not  Christians,  as  to  bring  about  a  union  of 
the  Armenians  with  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  Their  efforts 
were  partially  successful.  Those  who  joined  the  Catholic 
church  have  their  Archbishop  at  Nakshivan  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Erivan,  and  the  others  their  patriarch,  the 
••  Ilugas  Kathaltos,1' at  Edsclnniiissin. 

This  patriarch — in  the  year  1817,  his  name  was  Efrem 
— has  about  three  hundred  monks  in  his  convent  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Ararat,  the  lofty  summit  of  which  is  cover- 
ed with  everlasting  snow.  The  Christian  villages  belong- 
ing to  the  convent  wrere  wealthy  ;  but  the  monastery 
itself  has  been  gradually  so  impoverished  oy  the  extortions 
of  the  Persian  governor  of  the  province  of  Erivan,  that 
it  has  nothing  left  but  its  relics,  such  as  the  spear  which 
pierced  the  side  of  our  Saviour,  a  piece  of  the  wood  of 
Xoah's  ark,  which  was  brought  to  St.  Gregory,  when 
asleep,  and  the  like.  Kotzebue,  in  his  Narrative  of  the 
Journey  of  the  Russian  Embassy  to  Persia,  relates  vari- 
ous particulars  respecting  this  convent  which  excite  our 
pity. 

Ft  is  a  lon«-  time  since  any  thing  was  heard  of  Catholic 
missions  in  Persia.  So  much  the  more  strenuous  are  the 
efforts  of  the  British  and  Russian  Bible  Societies  and  Mis- 
sionary Institutions,  to  counteract  the  Koran,  or  at  least 
to  purify  the  corrupt  faith  of  the  Armenians  by  circula- 
ting the  original  records  of  Christianity  in  Persian  and 
Armenian  translations.  The  provinces  latterly  ceded  by 
Persia  to  Russia  afford  a  sufficient  field  for  their  activitv. 


108  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

But  large  quantities  of  Bibles  have  been  already  sent  into 
the  heart  of  Iran,  or  Persia  Proper  ;  and  the  number  of 
merchants,  or  traiveUiog  literati  who  annually  visit  Astra- 
can,  amounting  in  a  year  to  several  thousand,  contribute 
not  a  little  to  spread  the  sacred  Scriptures  of  the  Christians. 
These,  indeed,  are  well  known  even  at  the  court  of  the 
Shah  himself.  According  to  the  assurance  of  Dr.  Camp- 
bell, who  resided  several  years  at  the  Court  of  Teheran, 
and  was  at  Petersburg  in  1M6,  but  returned  to  Persia, 
the  heir  apparent  to  the  throne  could  repeat  whole  pas- 
sages of  the  New  Testament  by  heart. 

From  the  last  report  of  the  British  and  Foreign  School 
Society,  we  learn  tnat  during  the  late  visit  to  the  East  of 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Wolff,  whose  efforts  are  more  particu- 
larly directed  to  the  conversion  of  Jews,  a  strong  desire 
was  expressed  in  Persia  to  receive  competent  teachers 
from  England,  and  assurances  were  given  by  various  indi- 
viduals of  the  highest  rank  that  they  would  support  and 
patronize  them.  A  meeting  was  in  consequence  held  in 
London,  in  March,  1827,  and  a  Committee  formed  and  a 
subscription  opened,  for  the  purpose  of  "  sending  out 
pious  and  well  qualified  teachers  to  prepare  the  way  for 
the  Holy  Scriptures"  in  this  country. 

We  must  beware,  however,  of  inferring  too  much  from 
these  circumstances.  Setting  aside  that  Muhamedans,  if 
they  were  to  apostatize  from  Islamism,  would  be  perse- 
cuted with  mortal  rancour  by  the  professors  of  their  for- 
mer faith,  it  is  no  easy  matter  to  render  much  in  the 
church  ceremonies  and  subtle  dogmas  of  the  Christian 
parties  acceptable  to  them.  Persians  of  e  ucation,  Mu- 
hamedans of  reflecting  minds,  have  no  hesitation  to  ad- 
mit the  superiority  of  the  pure,  spiritual  truths  of  Chris- 
tianity, such  as  Jesus  himself  taught,  to  the  precepts  of 
the  Koran,  which  flatter  the  passions  and  rather  address 
themselves  to  what  is  earthly.  But,  there  are  points  in 
our  tenets,  which  they  regard  with  much  the  same  kind  of 
look  as  a  staunch  Catholic  would  cast  at  a  zealous  Cal- 
vinist  of  Geneva,  who  should  inculcate  the  doctrine  of 
elective  grace,  or  a  well  informed  Protestant  if  a  Capu- 
chin were  to  threaten  him  with  purgatory.  . 

The  more  enlightened  Persians  entertain  just  as  little 


CEYLON.  10^ 

reverence  for  the  doctrines  and  miracles  of  Jslamism 
There  are  thousands  among  them  who,  without  publicly 
abjuring-  the  Prophet,  find  the  whole  substance  of  their 
faith  and  peace  of  mind  in  the  adoration  of  the  one 
Supreme  (io<l,  and  in  the  fulfilment  of  their  duties  to  Him 
and  to  their  fellow-creatures.  But  they  take  good  care  to 
conceal  their  real  sentiments  within  their  own  breasts,  lest 
they  should  expose  themselves  to  the  anathemas  of  the 
vulgar  and  of  the  priests.  They  are,  nevertheless,  known 
in  Persia,  and  are  called  Sulfas  —  philosophers,  or  free 
thinkers.  They  arc  in  Persia  much  the  same  as  the  fol- 
lowers of  Confutse  in  China,  the  Siutos  in  Japan,  and 
the  most  enlightened  of  the  Catholics,  Protestants,  and 
Jews,  in  Europe.  The  latter,  as  it  is  well  known,  receive 
precisely  the  same  name  from  the  other  members  of  the 
religion  to  which  t  hey  belong.  There  is  but  little  differ- 
ence between  the  Asiatic  and  European  vulgar,  and  pro- 
bably just  as  little  between  the  common  herd  of  priests, 
Rabbis,  Muftis,  Bramins,  Bonzes,  Gylongs,  Talapomsj 
vV:c.  in  both  parts  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CEYLON  AND  JAVA STATE  OF    CHRISTIANITY  IN  THE 

OTHER  LARGE  ASIATIC  ISLANDS. 

We  now  proceed  to  take  a  survey  of  the  Asiatic  islands. 

Among  the  thousands  of  islands  which  begird  the  con 
tinent  of  Asia,  Ceylon,  with  its  three  hundred  thousand 
inhabitants,  is  particularly  remarkable  in  a  religious  point 
Of  view.  The  Indians,  as  well  beyond  as  on  this  side  of 
the  Ganges,  and  even  the  Christians  of  St.  Thomas,  have 
from  the  remotest  antiquity  regarded  this  island  with  pecu- 
liar veneration.  The  IMalabars  call  it  Lanca,  or  the 
Holy  Land.  The  range  of  mountains  which  intersects 
Ceylon  is  crowned  by  the  lofty  Talmala  and  Hamale), 
which  are  visible  at  sea  to  a  great  distance.  Here,  at  the 
10 


110  SURVEY   OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

sources  of  three  rivers,  according  to  the  notions  of  the 
Hindoos,  God  created  the  progenitor  of  the  human  race, 
and  buried  him  at  his  death.  From  this  island  came,  ac- 
cording to  the  obscure  traditions  of  Farther  India,  the 
belief  in  Buddha,  or  Budh,  which  extends  over  by  far 
the  greater  part  of  Asia.  Buddha,  say  the  priests  of 
Ceylon,  has  already  appeared  four  times  in  the  world, 
the  fourth  time  as  a  man,  born  of  a  virgin.  His  religion 
shall  prevail  five  thousand  years,  and  then  a  fifth  Buddha 
will  reveal  himself. 

Justice  and  wisdom  are  called  the  main  pillars  of  the 
religion  of  Buddha.  The  people,  especially  those  of  the 
lowest  castes,  are  nevertheless  demoralized  and  depraved, 
and  in  the  higher  castes  frequently  unbelieving  or  skep- 
tical. Owing  to  the  prodigious  multitude  of  inferior  dei- 
ties, many  of  the  Bramins  feel  themselves  in  danger  of 
ultimately  neither  having,  nor  believing  in,  any  God  at 
all.  In  Ceylon  the  Priests  reckon  up  120,535  gods.  The 
polytheism  of  ancient  Rome  was  a  trifle  compared  with 
this.  Enjoying  a  delicious  climate  and  a  soil  of  extraor- 
dinary fertility,  the  people  are  indolent  both  in  body  and 
mind.  The  cocoa-tree  is  a  generous  nurse  of  sloth  ;  a 
garden  of  moderate  size  planted  with  this  tree  supplies 
most  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  furnishing  food,  drink, 
oil,  shelter,  fuel,  and  wood  for  building. 

There  is  a  tradition,  which  is  said  to  be  derived  from 
the  sacred  books  of  the  Cingalese,  that  from  the  West 
there  shall  come  to  Ceylon  a  new  religion,  which  shall  be 
adopted  by  all  mankind.  Of  this  notion  the  Christian 
missionaries  might  long  since  have  availed  themselves  in 
preaching  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  ;  hut  that  point  they  seem 
to  have  entirely  overlooked. 

The  /irst  European  conquerors  of  Ceylon,  the  Portu- 
guese, converted,  in  Muhamed's  manner,  with  the  sword. 
The  words  of  the  priests  who  offered  baptism,  cross,  rosa- 
ry, and  all  tiie  pomp  of  the  Roman  Catholic  worship,  were 
enforced  by  the  thunder  of  cannon  directed  against  the 
temples  of  the  ancient  gods.  Many  of  the  terror-stricken 
Cingalese  embraced  the  Catholic  religion,  without  know- 
ing any  thing  of  the  faith  which  Christ  had  revealed. 

When  the  Dutch,  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth 


CEYLON.  Ill 

dentury,  made  themselves  masters  of  this  extensive  island, 
they  built  many  churches  and  schools.  Their  ministers 
insisted  less  on  the  observance  of  empty  ceremonies  than 
holiness  of  life  ;  but  those  who  came  after  them  were  fre- 
quently destitute  of  the  noble  spirit  which  actuated  their 
predecessors.  Many  of  them,  addicted  to  drunkenness,- 
lust,  or  other  vices,  set  bad  examples  to  the  Cingalese. 
Thousands  of  the  latter  nevertheless  solicited  baptism,  be- 
cause, by  virtue  of  a  law,  none  but  baptized  Christians 
could  hold  public  situations.  It  was  to  these  posts  that 
the  Cingalese  aspired,  much  more  than  to  the  acquisition 
of  a  Christian  spirit  and  sentiments.  The  image  of  Buddha 
was  secretly  preserved  in  their  hearts  and  in  their  habita- 
tions. 

The  Dutch  were  at  length  dispossessed  by  the  English, 
but  they  did  still  less  to  enlighten  the  minds  of  the  Cinga- 
lese than  their  predecessors.  The  diamonds,  pearls,  tin, 
and  gold  of  Ceylon  were  of  more  importance  to  its  new 
masters  than  any  other  consideration.  Thus  the  good 
effected  at  an  earlier  period  sank  back  into  the  slough  of 
ancient  paganism. 

In  the  time  of  the  Dutch  there  were  still  between  three 
and  four  hundred  idol  temples  in  Ceylon ;  in  1807,  they 
had  increased  to  more  than  twelve  hundred.  I/,  the  yeai 
1663,  there  were  sixty-five  thousand  Christians  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Jaffna,  which  in  1814  contained  scarcely  five  thou- 
sand. It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  great  numbers  of  the 
baptized  natives  must  have  returned  to  the  paganism  ol 
their  ancestors,  which  they  had  not  renounced  from  con- 
viction. According  to  a  recent  calculation,  the  total 
number  of  Protestant  natives  amounts  to  about  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand,  and  that  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
to  about  fifty  thousand  :  but  how  many  of  these  Catholics 
and  Protestants  are  Christians  we  know  not. 

The  pagan  Cingalese  are  brutal  in  their  appetites,  faith- 
less, violent,  and  superstitious  in  the  extreme. — A  piece 
of  thread  tied  round  the  arm  is  their  preservation  from 
disease,  or  a  ring  of  iron  their  protection  from  evil  spirits, 
who,  they  suppose,  have  a  peculiar  dread  of  that  metal. 
Others  have  a  small  brass  tube,  containing  some  sort  of 
medicine,  fastened  in  a  band  round  the  waist,  and  this  thev 


12  SURVEY   OF   CJIHISTIANITV. 

expect  to  act  as  a  spell  and  to  remove  the  most  obstinate 
malady.  Their  whole  religion  embraces  but  two  objects — 
deliverance  from  temporal  evils  and  security  of  temporal 
prosperity.  To  ensure  deliverance  they  have  recourse  to 
the  means  already  mentioned — to  obtain  security  they 
make  vows  and  oblations.  Thus,  previous  to  the  time  of 
harvest,  while  the  paddy  or  rice  crop  is  in  blossom,  they 
form  long  bands  with  the  leaves  of  the  cocoa-nut  tree,  and 
with  these  they  surround  a  portion  of  the  field.  In  the 
centre  of  this  circle,  a  lamp,  filled  with  the  expressed  oil  of 
a  single  cocoa-nut,  is  set  up.  This  is  lighted  at  night  and 
an  assurance  given  to  persons  called  cappoowah  that, 
when  the  crop  is  gathered  in,  a  portion  shall  be  given 
away  in  the  name  of  the  god  of  Kattnagamme  ;  trusting 
that  in  consequence  of  this  vow  they  shall  be  effectually 
preserved  from  blight  and  mildew.  Should  this,  however, 
not  be  the  case,  the  priest  has  always  an  excuse  ready,  and 
pretends  that  there  was  some  mistake  in  the  performance 
of  the  ceremony  After  the  gathering  of  the  harvest,  the 
friends  of  the  person  are  invited,  nee  is  distributed  among 
the  guests,  and  an  oblation  of  money  presented  to  the 
cappoowah.  This  ceremony  always  takes  place  by  night, 
the  darkness  serving  not  only  to  cloak  the  gross  imposi- 
tion, but  to  add  solemnity  and  awe  to  the  proceedings. . 
When  a  person  erects  a  new  dwelling,  before  he  will  ven- 
ture to  reside  in  it,  he  calls  the  people  together  and  holds 
a  dance  to  propitiate  the  evil  spirits  ;  for  without  this  he 
would  live  in  continual  dread  of  lightning,  fire,  or  earth- 
quake. 

Most  of  the  Portuguese,  or  Catholics,  are  not  behind 
the  pagan  Cingalese  in  depravity,  and  the  majority  of  the 
Protestants  but  little  better.  Such  is  the  result  of  the  con- 
current testimony  of  the  later  travellers. 

In  1815  the  English  reduced  the  territories  of  the  King 
of  Candi,  the  only  prince  in  the  island  who  had  till  then 
maintained  his  independence.  Thus  the  whole  of  Ceylon 
became  British  property.  Since  that  time  a  new  zeal  for 
the  melioration  of  the  moral  and  religious  state  of  its  in- 
habitants has  been  kindled.  To  this  laudable  object  Sir 
Alexander  Johnston,  when  Chief  Justice  and  first  member 
of  his  majesty's  council  of  Ceylon,  essentially  contributed. 


CEYLON.  113 

Among  other  measures  adopted  by  him  for  raising  the  po~ 
litical,  moral,  and  intellectual  character  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  island,  he  obtained  from  the  Crown  a  charter  ex- 
tending the  right  of  sitting  upon  juries  to  all  the  natives  of 
the  country  ;  a  privilege  possessed  by  no  other  natives  in 
Asia  ;  and  in  return  for  this  boon  he  urged  them  to  adopt 
some  measure  for  the  gradual  abolition  of  domestic  slavery. 
In  consequence  of  his  suggestion  and  the  anxiety  of  the 
people  to  prove  themselves  worthy  of  the  privilege  granted 
to  them,  the  proprietors  of  slaves  resolved,  that  all  children" 
born  of  their  slaves  after  the  12th  of  August,  1 8 1 G,  should 
be  free  ;  and  thus  an  end  was  put  to  the  state  of  domestic 
slavery,  which  had  prevailed  in  Ceylon  for  three  centuries. 
The  day  fixed  upon,  as  the  comme.icement  of  the  era  of 
liberty,  by  that  philanthropic  magistrate,  whose  example 
deserves  to  be  held  up  as  a  model  to  the  officers  of  every 
government,  was  the  birth-day  of  the  Prince  Regent  (now 
king)  of  Great  Britain,  in  order  that  the  slaves  might  as- 
sociate the  more  indissolubly  the  idea  ot  the  freedom  of 
their  descendants  with  reverence  for  the  Crown  under  the 
protection  of  which  that  blessing  was  received. 

The  first  efforts  for  the  religious  instruction  of  the  Cinga- 
lese were  made,  as  in  other  cases,  by  the  Missionary  Soci- 
eties in  London,  and  the  government  availed  itself  of  their 
ardent  desire  to  do  good.  Nearly  two  hundred  schools 
are  already  established,  and  their  number  is  every  year  in- 
creasing. An  academy  founded  at  Colombo  for  the  study 
of  the  higher  sciences  is  in  a  flourishing  condition.  The 
missionary  stations  in  all  parts  of  the  island  are  multiplied, 
and  there  is  no  want  but  of  the  requisite  number  of  labour- 
ers qualified  to  prosecute  the  sacred  work.  At  Colombo, 
Galle,  and  other  places,  the  Methodists  have  established 
schools,  and  the  Missionary  Society  has  stations  at  Candi. 
Badagamme,  on  the  river  Gmdra,  and  Nellore.  In  the 
town  of  JafTnapatam,  at  Batticotta,  at  Trincomale,  and  at 
Candi  itself,  the  capital  of  the  lately  conquered  kingdom, 
the  English  missionaries  have  settlements  whence  they 
make  excursions  in  the  neighbouring  country,  preaching 
or  restoring  the  congregations  founded  by  the  Dutch,  and 
afterwards  neglected  by  the  British,  the  ministers  of  which 
have  been  long  dead,  and  which  have  in  consequence  re- 
10* 


114  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

lapsed  into  incredible  ignorance.  Their  labours  have  not 
been  wholly  fruitless,  and  they  have  had  the  satisfaction  to 
see  priests  of  Buddha  themselves,  and  among  these  one  of 
the  most  learned  and  Celebrated  in  the  island,  embracing 
Christianity. 

The  American  Board  of  Missions  also  has  several  sta- 
tions in  the  vicinity  of  Jaffnapatam.  The  missionaries 
have  under  their  care  sixty  tree-schools,  with  between  two 
and  three  thousand  scholars  of  both  sexes  ;  and  they  arc 
preparing  to  found  a  college  at  Batticotta  for  the  instruc- 
tion of  native  youth  in  the  higher  branches  of  learning. 

The  same  activity  at  present  prevails  among  the  Britisli 
missionaries  in  the  extensive  island  of  Java,  especially  since 
the  English  gained  a  footing  upon  it  during  their  wars 
with  Napoleon.  After  the  Dutch  had,  at  the  commence- 
ment of  the  seventeenth  century,  made  themselves  masters  . 
of  some  of  the  coasts  of  this  larjje,  mountainous,  and  fertile 
island,  they  took  laudable  measures  for  the  propagation  of 
Christianity  and  the  moral  improvement  of  their  pagan 
neighbours.  In  all  the  towns  and  villages  where  they  had 
settlements,  there  were  excellent  ministers  and  zealous 
champions  of  the  word  of  God  ;  but  the  violent  political 
convulsions,  the  destructive  effects  of  which  extended 
across  the  ocean  to  the  mountains  of  Java,  overthrew 
many  praiseworthy  institutions.  The  French  were  intent 
only  on  the  military  occupation  of  the  productive  island. 
A  grand  monument  of  their  prodigious  activity  is  left  in 
the  magnificent  road  from  Cape  Diamond,  near  the  town 
of  Bantam,  to  the  easternmost  point  of  the  island,  which 
the  French  governor,  General  Daendels,  completed  in 
the  short  space  of  nine  months,  levelling  hills,  filling  val 
leys,  and  perforating  mountains. 

The  Muhamedan  is  the  religion  that  still  preponderate^ 
in  Java.  Every  village  has  its  mosque  and  its  priest,  who 
is  at  the  same  time  a  member  of  the  civil  magistracy. 
Near  the  town  of  Cheribon  is  still  shown  the  tomb  of  the 
first  Musulman  who  preached  the  doctrine  of  the  Koran 
in  Java.  So  sacred  is  it  accounted  that  none  but  rajahs 
or  princes  arc  permitted  to  approach  it.  When  the  reli- 
gion of  Muhamed  gained  the  ascendancy  in  Java,  the 
tlindoos  fled  to  the  island  of  Bali ;  but  many  vestiges  oi 


JAV.\ .  1  1 V 

those  people  are  stil!  to  ho  seen  at  Solo,  a  town  situated 
in  a  delightful  and  richly  cultivated  plain,  as  well  as  at 
Samarang  and  Sourabaya. 

The  population  of  Java  was  estimated,  in  18  15,  at  little 
short  of  four  millions  and  a  half,  of  whom  upwards  of 
eighty  thousand  were  Chinese,  and  a  large  proportion 
Malays.  The  former,  however,  are  by  far  the  most  en- 
lightened and  intelligent,  though  they  spring  from  the 
lowest  classes  of  the  inhabitants  of  China.  Out  of  four 
Chinese  you  are  sure  to  find  one  who  can  read,  which  is 
more  than  can  be  said  at  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century  of  the  lower  orders  in  all  parts  of  polished  Europe. 
In  their  principal  settlements,  and  even  in  the  villages, 
they  have  schools  for  their  children.  Hence  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  they  should  be  in  better  circumstances  than 
most  of  the  Javanese.  To  this  portion  of  the  popula- 
tion of  Batavia,  where  the  Chinese  constitute  one  sixth  of 
the  330,000  inhabitants,  the  labours  of  the  London  So- 
ciety's missionary  there  seem  to  be  largely  directed.  He 
is  represented  as  being  actively  engaged  in  preparing  and 
circulating  Chinese  tracts,  and  among  the  rest  a  monthly 
"Chinese  Magazine,"  of  which  three  thousand  copies  are 
printed. 

Unlike  the  Chinese,  the  Muhamedans,  their  priests  not 
excepted,  are  ignorant  ;  they  are  but  superficially  ac- 
quainted with  the  Koran  itself.  Their  religion  is  become 
a  mere  unmeaning  routine.  The  more  captivating,  one 
would  suppose,  must  be  a  doc-trine  capable  of  engaging 
their  minds  with  the  most  sublime  truths,  and  filling  their 
hearts  with  the  noblest  sentiments. 

It  is  essentially  necessary,  however,  that  sensible  and 
enlightened  men  be  selected  for  the  apostolic  office,  espe- 
cially among  the  shrewd  and  reflecting  Chinese.  It  was 
an  admirable  idea  of  one  of  those  Chinese  in  Java,  when 
he  said  to  an  English  missionary  ;  "  I  really  believe  that 
all  the  religions  in  the  world  are  alike  ;  of  rather  that 
they  are  only  different  scions  from  one  and  the  same 
radical  truth."  The  missionary  misconceived  his  meaning 
and  returned  an  inapposite  answer.  Hence  probably  it 
happened  that  the  Chinese,  on  being  exhorted  by  the  Eu- 
ropean only  to  pray  diligently  to  Jesus,  ironically  replied 


fib  SURVEY   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

'lam  afraid  he  does  not  understand  Chinese  enough 
and  so  I  must  learn  English  first  for  that." 

Upon  the  whole,  the  British  missionaries  are  not  so 
much  deficient  in  good-will  as  in  the  requisite  knowledge 
of  mankind,  talent,  and  intelligence.  It  is  frequently  the 
case  that,  probably  lor  want  of  better  subjects,  ignorant 
persons,  artisans,  are  selected  for  missionaries,  who,  in 
their  pious  enthusiasm,  offer  themselves  for  the  arduous 
and  dangerous  undertaking,  and  complacently  console 
themselves  with  the  idea  that  the  Lord  is  mighty  in  the 
weak.  Hence  less  is  accomplished  with  a  great  expense 
of  labour  and  money  than  might  reasonably  be  desired. 
Still  the  good  that  is  effected  by  them  is  entitled  to  our 
grateful  acknowledgment. 

If  most  of  the  nations  of  the  other  quarters  of  the  globe 
are  still  living  in  a  half  brutal  state  without  the  blessing 
of  Christianity,  the  chief  part  of  the  blame  rests  with  the 
indifference  of  the  Christian  governments  of  Europe. 
Nay,  many  of  them  and  their  governors  and  inferior 
officers  deem  it  more  conducive  to  the  commercial  or 
political  advantage  of  their  respective  countries,  to  prevent 
the  light  of  religion  from  shining  upon  the  nations,  and  to 
let  the  most  fertile  tracts  lie  desolate  and  uncultivated. 

Hence,  numerous  islands  of  Asia  have  been  much  more 
neglected  than  Java.  The  rich  and  extensive  Sumatra, 
1050  miles  long  by  165  average  breadth,  is  peopled  on 
the  coasts  by  Muhamedans  and  in  the  interior  by  pagans 
only.  The  total  number  of  its  population  is  estimated  at 
three  millions  of  souls.  Both  the  English  and  the  Dutch,  to 
whom  it  was  transferred  in  1825  by  the  former,  have  here 
concerned  themselves  exclusively  about  their  commerce. 
How  dependent  soever  the  native  primes  may  be  on  them, 
they  never  bestow  a  thought  on  the  means  of  humanizing 
them  by  degrees.  In  the  interior  of  Sumatra  not  only  are 
human  victims  offered  to  idols,  but  prisoners  of  war  arc 
put  to  death  with  excruciating  torments,  and  eaten  with  c 
peculiar  kind  of  broth  prepared  expressly  for  the  purpose. 

British  missionaries,  however,  were  settled  in  this  ne- 
glected island  previously  to  its  restoration  to  the  Dutch ; 
schools  were  established  by  them,  education  was  extended 
with  considerable  success,  and  the  way  was  opened  for 


SUMATRA BANCA BOKNEO.  1  1  7 

<Jie  reception  of  the  sacred  volume  on  the  coast  of  Su- 
matra A  version  of  the  Scriptures  in  the  Batta  language 
is  preparing  by  one  of  the  missionaries,  and  will  be 
adopted  by  the  Netherlands  Bible  Society  ;  while  the  low 
Malay  translation,  upon  which  another  of  these  labourers 
is  engaged,  will  probably  be  transferred  to  Singapore  ; 
the  above-mentioned  Society  not  being  in  a  situation  to 
undertake  both.  A  third,  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
mission,  who  was  compelled  by  civil  commotions  among 
the  natives  to  quit  his  station,  had  begun  the  compilation  of 
an  English,  Malay,  and  Batta  Dictionary,  after  having 
completed  a  translation  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  The 
Netherlands  Missionary  Society  also  has  directed  its 
attention  to  Sumatra,  and  sent  out  missionaries  to  prose- 
cute the  good  work  commenced  by  their  British  prede- 
cessors. 

The  island  of  Banca,  celebrated  for  its  tin  mines  and 
situated  near  Sumatra,  lies  desolate,  notwithstanding  the 
fertility  of  its  soil.  It  is  valued  solely  on  accouut  of  its 
tin,  the  mines  of  which  are  wrought  by  emigrants  from 
China.  The  Dutch  and  English  have  hitherto  purposely 
prevented  the  instruction  of  the  people  and  the  culture  of 
the  soil,  to  keep  the  inhabitants  of  Banca  dependent  for 
their  provisions  on  Java  or  the  commercial  town  of  Palem- 
bang.  The  villages  are  embosomed  in  prodigious  woods, 
and  Minto,  the  capital,  is  a  rambling  place.  The  abori- 
ginal inhabitants,  mostly  pagans,  are  either  Orang- 
Gunangs,  that  is,  mountaineers,  of  Malay  extraction,  as 
their  language  seems  to  indicate,  or  Orang-Lauts,  or  sea- 
faring people,  who  reside  on  the  e<ra>t.  The  Chinese, 
upwards  of  four  thousand  of  whom  dwell  on  the  island, 
and  the  Malays,  are  foreigners. 

The  population  of  Borneo,  the  largest  of  the  Asiatic 
islands,  like  that  of  Celebes  and  Macassar,  is  on  the 
coasts  exclusively  devoted  to  Islamism,  and  in  the  interior 
to  paganism.  Uere,  as  in  Sumatra,  human  victims  are  I 
still  sacrificed  by  the  barbarous  inhabitants  at  weddings 
and  on  other  occasions,  before  the  faces,  as  it  were,  of  i 
the  Europeans.  No  native  of  the  Y\  est  has  yet  come 
hither  for  the  benevolent  purpose  of  making  men  ac- 
quainted with  the  true  God  and  their  eternal  destination. 


118  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

Here   the  Christians  are   traders   and   nothing   but  tr& 
ders. 

But  I  shall  not  treat  of  countries  to  which  the  voice  of 
a  better  religion  has  never  penetrated,  or  I  should  have  to 
mention  many  thousands  of  the  yet  unnumbered  islands 
of  Asia.  For  this  reason  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  to 
those  to  which  the  Gospel  has  been  carried. 

In  the  Molucca  Islands,  amounting  to  about  one 
hundred,  the  present  number  of  Christian  inhabitants  is 
computed  at  upwards  of  twenty  thousand — a  small  number 
compared  with  the  vast  multitude  who  live  in  a  state  of 
moral  darkness  under  the  brilliant  sun  of  the  Spice 
Islands.  A  laudable  beginning  has,  however,  been  made 
by  the  Dutch  to  enlighten  the  minds  of  the  natives.  In 
Amboyna  and  Banda  British  missionaries  have  been 
settled  ever  since  the  year  1814  They  made  it  their  first 
care  to  supply  the  place  of  teachers  to  the  long  neglected 
congregations,  to  which  belonged  about  eighteen  thousand 
Christians,  and  to  procure  for  them  Bibles  in  their  native 
languages  printed  at  Calcutta.  In  Amboyna  itself  a 
Bibie  Society  has  been  formed  for  the  circulation  of  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  which  in  the  year  1815  collected  four 
thousand  dollars  for  that  purpose.  There  are  also  semina- 
ries for  training  up  young  men  as  schoolmasters  for  the 
neighbouring  islands,  and  as  assistants  to  the  missionaries 
sent  out  by  the  Netherlands  Missionary  Society  to  Am- 
boyna, Banda,  Bouro,  Celebes,  Seram,  Kaybobo,  Ternate, 
and  Timor  ;  and  a  printing-press  has  been  established  to 
facilitate  their  operations.  The  attention  of  that  Society 
begins  also  to  be  directed  to  some  of  these  islands  which 
are  not  subject  to  the  Netherlands  government,  and  to 
which  labourers  will  probably  be  despatched  as  soon  as 
they  can  be  spared.  In  the  island  of  Gilolo  are  still  to 
be  found  traces,  though  indeed  very  faint  ones,  of  the 
religion  formerly  preached  by  the  Jesuits.  The  triumph 
with  which  the  Jesuits  proclaimed  the  conversion  of  Ynka- 
Kassel,  the  king  of  that  island,  to  Christianity,  in  1750, 
his  being  baptized  by  the  bishop  of  Manilla,  his  assuming 
the  name  of  Ferdinand,  in  honour  of  the  King  of  Spain, 
his  dismissing  forty-eight  of  his  wives,  his  destroying  all 
the  pagodas,  and  building  a  Christian  church,  was  of 
short   duration.     Ynka-Kassel,  a   crafty  and   ambitious 


nilLIPPlNE   ISLANDS.  1 1 9 

prince,  had  no  other  view  in  this  farce  than  to  win  the 
confidence  of  the  Spanish  viceroy,  and  to  secure  his  aid 
for  the  reduction  of  the  neighbouring  islands.  Failing  in 
this  scheme,  he  pursued  a  different  course  ;  and  the  result 
was,  that  the  Spaniards  made  war  upon  him  and  took  him 
prisoner.  In  many  other  of  the  Spice  Islands  attempts  at 
conversion  had  been  made  at  an  earlier  period  by  Catholic 
missionaries,  and  often  unsuccessfully.  In  the  year  1739, 
Father  -.eo  de  St.  Joseph,  missionary  in  Tidor,  was 
quartered  by  the  natives  and  his  head  carried  about  on  a 
spear.  A  year  later,  Father  Hippolyt  was  dragged  away 
by  the  savages  and  never  more  heard  of. 

The  state  of  Christianity  is  more  flourishing,  to  outward 
appearances  at  least,  in  the  Manilla  or  Philippine  islands. 
This  is  chiefly  owing  to  the  efforts  that  have  been  made 
for  some  centuries  past  by  the  great  missionary  institutions 
at  Rome.  So  far  back  as  in  the  year  17  J  J.  the  rich  and 
populous  capital,  Manilla,  containing  about  ninety  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  was  erected  into  the  see  of  an  archbishop, 
who  has  under  him  three  episcopal  diocesses.  The  mis- 
sionaries were  indefatigable  in  extending  the  ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction  over  the  ten  thousand  islands  of  the  Philippine 
Archipelago  :  but  they  proceeded  too  precipitately  in  the 
work  of  conversion.  They  seemed  to  be  more  solicitous 
to  swell  the  number  than  to  enlighten  the  minds  of  their 
proselytes.  Thus  the  Augustine  friars  boasted,  in  the 
year  1734,  that  they  had  converted  and  baptized  the 
whole  nation  of  the  Isiuagas.  Accounts  were  afterwards 
received  that  the  savages  had  risen,  plundered  the  convents, 
carried  off  the  sacred  utensils,  and  forced  the  Christians 
to  betake  themselves  to  the  mountains  to  save  their  misera- 
ble lives. 

This  insecurity  continued  in  some  of  the  islands  down 
to  the  nineteenth  century.  In  the  mountainous  Bagabag, 
one  of  the  Philippines,  there  were  in  1819  about  thirteen 
hundred  converts  under  the  direction  of  Friars  Preachers: 
but  none  of  them  could  stir  a  mile  from  the  fort  without 
running  the  risk  of  being  surprised  and  murdered  by  the 
savage  Scorrotai,  who  dwell  in  the  interior  of  the  country, 
and  are  reported  to  drink  the  blood  of  their  enemies  and 
to  decorate  their  huts  with  their  sculls. 


$  20  SURVEY    OP    CHRISTIANITY. 

It  may  easily  be  conceived  that  the  Christianity  of  mei* 
so  hastily  converted  must  be  of  a  rude  stamp,  and  that, 
owing  to  the  want  of  good  institutions  for  the  instruction 
of  the  people,  it  must  remain  so.  We  cannot  be  astonish- 
ed to  learn,  that  in  many  places  where  the  authority  of  the 
Spaniards  is  feeble,  the  usages  and  deities  of  paganism 
are  retained  together  with  the  Christian  ceremonies,  and 
that  infants  born  with  any  deformity  are  still  put  to  death, 
as  tor  instance  in  the  island  of  Paragaor  Palawan.  It  is 
well  known  that  of  late  years  iifany  ot  the  inhabitants  of  the 
coast  have  solicited  baptism,  merciy  to  secure  Spanish  pro- 
tection against  the  at  lacks  oj  the  black  mountaineers,  or  to 
obtain  a  license  to  drink  wine  and  eat  pork,  which  the  rigour 
of  the  Koran  prohibits.  For  the  rest,  even  in  places  where 
Christianity  has  become  universal,  religion  seems  to  be  but 
a  sort  of  ecclesiastical  police  transferred  to  civil  life, 

Depages,  who,  in  his  voyage  round  the  world,  towards 
the  conclusion  of  the  eighteenth  century,  resided  a  con- 
siderable time  in  Samar,  the  easternmost  of  the  Philip- 
pines, draws  an  animated  picture  of  the  state  of  Christianity 
there,  and  of  the  relation  in  which  the  clergy  stand  to 
the  people.  These,  says  he,  who  converted  the  inhabitants 
and  made  them  subject  to  the  Spanish  crown,  exercise 
almost  unlimited  authority  over  them.  They  punish  the 
slightest  fault  with  stripes,  and  it  is  not  uncommon  for 
priests  to  apply  the  rod  to  the  bare  bodies  of  females, 
married  and  single.  The  offenders — so  completely  are 
the  minds  of  the  Indians  under  the  control  of  their 
spiritual  guides — meekly  submit  to  these  chastisements  ; 
convinced  of  their  justice,  they  thank  the  Father  lor  them 
and  rarely  fall  again  into  the  same  fault.  These  punish- 
ments are  inflicted  publicly,  and  are  not  disgraceful, 
because  each  knows  that  perhaps  the  very  next  day  they 
may  be  his  portion.  All  are  alike  subject  to  them — old 
men  and  young,  women,  girls,  children,  without  distinc- 
tion of  rank,  age,  or  sex.  In  confession  the  priest  is 
made  acquainted  with  every  thing.  The  Indian  frankly 
reveals  to  him  his  most  secret  thoughts.  Thus  the  priest 
becomes  his  adviser.  He  punishes,  but  sometimes  too  he 
rewards  with  medicines,  wine,  brandy,  and  meat  He  is  the 
general  father,  overseer,  and  judge  of  his  flock,  and  the 


JAVA. 

"eader  in  war,  by  sea  and  by  land.  The  priest  is  at  the  same 
imethe  governor  of  the  fort  of  his  parish  ;  he  provides  i 
with  ammunition,  appoints  officers,  sends  out  detachments, 
equips  vessels  for  war,  and  frequently  takes  the  command 
of  the  troops  in  person.  Divine  service  is  performed  twice 
a  week,  besides  festivals,  with  due  solemnity,  and  accompa- 
nied with  pleasing  music,  but  quite  in  the  Spanish  style. 
On  high  festivals,  the  colours  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  St. 
fgnatius,  St.  Francis,  and  other  saints,  are  hoisted  on  the 
turrets  of  the  fort,  and  saluted  at  sunrise  and  sunset  with 
discharges  of  artillery. 

The  total  number  of  Christians  in  the  Philippines,  corn- 
puted  in  1317  in  1,800,000,  are  divided  into  between  four 
and  five  thousand  parishes.  The  Dominican  friars  alone 
supply  fifty-nine  of  these  parishes  and  many  other 
missions,  in  which  in  the  year  1818  there  were  153,254 
souls.  A  great  want  of  persons  qualified  to  preach  the 
Gospel  is  felt  here,  and  for  this  reason  the  Dominicans  in 
Spain  are  continually  exhorted  to  repair  hither  to  assist  in 
the  good  work.  The  secular  clergy  in  the  Philippines  arc 
Indians  and  Me3tizes,  the  monks  alone  Europeans.  The 
bishops  are,  therefore,  necessitated  to  confer  ordination  or. 
people  of  all  professions,  who  cannot  earn  a  subsistence  in 
-\ny  other  way. 


CHAPTER  Xf. 

GENERAL     OBSERVATIONS     ON     THE    SLOW    PROGRESS    OF 
CHRISTIANITY   IN    ASIA. 

When  I  once  more  cast  a  look  back  at  Asia — the  finest 
and  the  richest  portion  of  the  globe,  in  comparison  with 
which  Europe  is  a  very  poor  country,  with  a  populatiori 
inferior  by  three-fifths — at  Asia,  the  cradle  of  the  most 
widely  diffused  religions — I  remark  with  painful  surprise 
its  moral  and  religious  degradation.  But  a  very  small 
nortion  of  its  inhabitants  profess  the  Christian  faith  :  an* 
11 


122  SUKVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

but  a  very  small  portion  of  the  Christiaas  treasure  in  thew 
hearts  the  highest  goods  of  man,  the  eternal  truths  revealed 
through  Jesus.  That  grand  idea,  the  unity  of  God,  is 
indeed  proclaimed  by  Jews,  Muhamedans,  and  Bramins, 
by  priests  of  Fo  and  of  the  Lamas,  of  Kaka  and  Buddha, 
but  disfigured  by  the  wild  dreams  of  barbarians.  Regions 
of  immeasurable  extent,  islands,  the  multitude  of  which 
has  never  been  numbered,  lie  buried  in  the  darkness  of 
paganism.  Man  has  there  but  higher  natural  talents,  not 
higher  rights,  than  the  brute.  Chicanery  and  unprincipled 
power  hold  the  place  of  law  ;  despotism  and  slavery  that 
of  social  order.  What  man  himself  is,  such  has  he  made 
his  deity.  Is  he  a  brute  ? — his  idol  is  a  Satan.  The  altar? 
of  a  horrible  creed  drip  with  human  gore  :  and  that  which 
is  never  done  by  ravenous  beasts  to  others  of  their  kind 
but  in  the  desperation  of  hunger,  is  done  by  men  from  a 
religious  motive — they  devour  one  another  1 

In  every  noble  mind  such  scenes  have  in  all  ages  excited 
a  holy  indignation  and  the  thought i  This  ought  not  to  be.' 
This  indignation  springs  from  the  three  highest  wishes  of 
the  spiritual  world,  which  are — more  profound  knowledge 
of  the  Deity,  perfection  of  our  nature  in  an  eternal  exist- 
ence, and  the  union  of  all  mankind  into  one  family  around 
the  one  God. 

The  little  progress  of  Christianity  in  Asia,  in  spite  01 
the  labours  of  the  pious  heralds  who  have  proclaimed  it 
there,  cannot  but  occasion  surprise.  Why  is  its  course 
so  tardy  ? — Before  the  period  of  the  migration  of  the 
Asiatic  nations  it  was  more  rapid  and  mighty.  It  then 
penetrated  through  all  the  Tartaries  to  the  heart  of  China. 
It  penetrated  to  the  Indies.  Were  the  preachers  of  the 
Gospel  in  those  days  possessed  of  other  means  than  those 
of  our  times,  who  are  seconded  by  money,  superior  know- 
ledge and  attainments,  even  succours  from  the  temporal 
power,  and  the  circulation  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  all 
languages  ? — Or  have  the  modern  Asiatics  less  suscepti- 
ble minds  ?  are  their  political  institutions  more  hostile  to 
better  notions  than  they  then  were  ?  By  no  means.  Hu- 
man nature  is  still  the  same,  and  more  hostile  institutions 
exist  not  at  this  day  than  those  were  which  Christ  and  his 
ttrst  disciples  had  to  encounter  :  and  yet  the  multitude  of 


GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS    ON    ASIA.  123 

•missionaries  now  employed  effect  not  in  a  whole  genera* 
tion  a  hundredth  part  of  what  in  those  times  one  messenger 
of  the  divine  master  sometimes  accomplished  in  a  single 
day. 

For  this  reason  many  have,  indeed,  believed  that  Chris- 
tianity was  propagated  in  the  first  ages  by  supernatural 
means,  and  that  a  divine  power  supported  its  first  preach- 
ers. But  why  should  God  be  at  this  day  less  with  Christ 
than  formerly  ? — Assuredly  he  is  as  much  so  now  as  he 
was  then. 

The  truth  is.  that  we  no  longer  possess  the  Christian 
religion  in  the  same  original  purity  as  the  early  disciple? 
of  Jesus.  Protestants,  Catholics,  and  Greeks  preach 
many  things  which  Christ  did  not  preach  ;  and  because 
ye  do  not  dispense  that  which  is  divine,  free  from  your 
earthly  additions,  there  is  much  less  of  the  power  of  God 
in  what  you  preach.  The  earthly  is  overcome  by  the 
power  of  what  is  earthly,  by  the  institutions,  manners,  and 
prejudices,  which  ye  assail  with  it. 

In  the  discourses  of  Christ,  as  in  all  doctrinal  precepts, 
,ve  must  distinguish  between  their  spirit  and  their  form, 
or  what  he  taught,  and  how  he  taught,  agreeably  to  the 
preliminary  knowledge  and  the  manners  of  his  age.  What 
he  taught  was  truths  which  manifest  themselves  with  irre- 
sistible power,  and  communicate,  as  it  were,  something 
divine  to  the  minds  of  mortals  :  but  the  manner  in  which 
Christ  taught  was  determined  by  the  previous  notions  of 
die  Jews.  On  this  account  he  delivered  himself  in  the 
figurative  language  of  the  East. 

Had  Christ  appeared  among  the  Indians  on  the  Ganges 
or  in  China,  the  spirit  of  his  doctrine  would  indeed  have 
been  the  same,  but  the  form  would  have  differed.  In  thai 
case  he  would  not  have  said  any  thing  concerning  Mosaic 
sacrifices,  or  the  words  of  the  prophets,  or  devils,  which 
were  unknown  in  China  and  Hindoostan  ;  but  he  would 
have  adapted  his  doctrine  to  their  existing  notions  and  pre- 
judices. Thus  Paul  used  a  different,  language  in  address- 
ing the  more  enlightened  Greeks  at  Athens,  before  the 
altar  of  the  unknown  God,  from  that  which  he  employed 
at  Jerusalem  before  the  priests  of  the  Mosaic  dispensation. 
Unfortunately,  errors  of  incalculable  consequence  were 


-  1  SURVEY  OF  CHKISTIANITV. 

committed  in  the  very  first  ages  of  Christianity  ;  for  trios** 
who  trod  in  the  footsteps  of  the  earliest  apostles  adhered, 
out  of  pious  affection  and  reverence  for  their  predecessors, 
to  every  thing  without  distinction  which  originated  with 
;iiem.  Thus  the  immaterial  and  accidental  were  not  less 
dear  to  them  than  the  essential.  They  retained  the  warm 
imagery  of  the  East  in  the  cooler  regions  of  the  West,  and 
preached  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  heathen  in  language  suit- 
able for  Jews.  Hence  false  notions  and  misconceptions 
arose  among  nations  which  were  strangers  to  Judaism. 
These  misconceptions  produced  new  definitions  ;  but  the 
expounders  and  commentators,  mostly  belonging  to  other 
countries  and  ages,  involuntarily  mingled  with  them  their 
own  opinions.  The  barbarism  of  the  era  of  the  migration 
of  nations  likewise  contributed  its  crude  ideas,  so  that  the 
simplest  things  were  rendered  complex,  the  clearest  ob- 
scure, and  the  spirit  was  neglected  and  forgotten  amid 
disputes  about  forms.  Thus,  from  a  medley  of  Jewish. 
Greek,  Egyptian,  Roman,  Gothic,  and  Gallic  notions, 
sprang  a  system  of  religion  which  has  strangely  enough 
united  the  grossest  superstition  of  western  paganism  with 
the  imagery  of  the  East  and  the  hair-splitting  subtleties  of 
the  schools. 

With  this  system  the  missionaries  of  our  times  belong- 
ing to  the  different  churches  journey  to  the  nations  of  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  globe.  Confirmed  in  notions  current  for 
a  thousand  years  past,  they  deem  what  is  said  concerning 
Christ  and  his  person  more  important  than  what  he  him- 
self taught  :  for  they  unfortunately  believe  that  what  Christ 
taught,  when  stripped  of  what  he  said  with  reference  to 
Jewish  notions,  is  too  simple,  too  self-evident,  too  palpa- 
ble, to  every  human  understanding. 

Mistaken  men  ! — to  dream  that  they  are  wiser  than  their 
Divine  Master,  though  he  revealed  that  very  doctrine  of 
God,  of  eternity,  and  of  the  destination  and  duties  of  man. 
with  greater  clearness,  connectedness,  and  completeness, 
than  had  ever  been  done  before  ;  who  had  made  the  pro 
clamation  of  these  very  truths  to  the  human  race,  in  order 
to  its  melioration  and  union  with  God,  the  business  of  his 
ife — to  imagine  that  they  are  wiser  than  He,  who  most 
strenuously  inculcated  these  very  truths,  because  they  were 


GENERAL   OBSERVATIONS  ON    ASIA,  125 

incumbered  or  extinguished  by  religious  ceremonies,  the 
speculations  of  priests,  and  the  legends  of  Judaism  and 
paganism — truths,  to  this  day  obscured  by  ecclesiastical 
dogmas,  but  which  every  childlike  understanding  may 
comprehend,  and  the  infinite  depth  of  which  humanVisdom 
can  never  fathom — truths  by  which  alone  the  spirit  of  man 
can  sanctify  and  exalt  itself,  as  Jesus  Christ  was  holy  and 
exalted  ! 

It  is  one  of  the  prodigious  errors  of  men  in  ancient  and 
modern  times,  to  give  to  the  highest  that  Jesus  taught  the 
name  of  natural  religion — as  if  there  could  be  any  other 
nature  besides  the  divine  nature. — But  it  is  this  religion 
which  Jesus  has  revealed.  It  is  the  primitive  religion  : 
not  that  it  is  the  most  ancient,  (for  so  clearly  as  it  was 
revealed  by  Christ  it  never  was  revealed  before)  but  it  is 
the  stock  and  root,  the  essence  of  all  the  religions  of  man- 
kind. The  Chinese  in  Java  had  a  presumption  of  this 
when  he  said  to  the  Christian  missionary  :  "  I  verily  be- 
lieve that  all  the  religions  in  the  world  are  scions  of  one 
and  the  same  radical  truth  !"  This  radical  truth  Jesus- 
drew  forth  out  of  darkness. 

When,  therefore,  missionaries  repair  to  foreign  nations 
not  with  those  primitive  truths,  but  with  what  men  of  a 
later  period  have  conjectured  and  taught  concerning  Jesus, 
they  carry  to  them  not  divine,  but  human  doctrines.  No 
wonder  that  they  labour  to  no  purpose,  or  reap  but  little 
fruit ;  that  the  wiser  pagan  smiles  contemptuously  at  the 
mythology  of  the  Christian  church  as  an  ill-invented  fable, 
and  the  rude  idolater  finds  the  traditions  of  his  ancestors 
more  intelligible  than  the  abstruse  dogmas  of  strangers. 
No  wonder  that  when  heathen  are  induced  by  earthly 
means,  by  persuasions,  gifts,  hopes,  or  fears,  to  be  baptized, 
the  new  religion  does  not  make  them  better  men.  No 
wonder  that  the  converts  as  readily  exchange  again  the 
newly  learned  practices  and  doctrines  for  those  to  which 
they  were  previously  accustomed. 

Whether  missionaries  be  sent  to  the  devout  Tibctians, 
or  to  the  wise  disciples  of  Confutse,  to  the  Bramins  wedded 
to  their  ancient  religion,  or  to  the  cannibals  of  Sumatra ; 
the  primitive  religion  of  Jesus,  wherever  it  is  preached  in 
its  puritv,  will  strike  every  being  endued  with  reason  by 
U* 


S&G  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

its  irresistible  truth  :  for  it  sheds  a  light  upon  all  minds, 
and  delightfully  solves  every  enigma  of  life  to  the  doubting 
spirits  of  the  more  cultivated.  But  preach  not  the  Gospel 
to  Indians  and  Tartars  as  if  they  were  Jews.  Therein 
consisted  the  wonderful  efficacy  of  the  divine  word  in  the 
first  ages,  before  it  became  entangled  in  the  net  of  later 
dogmatism  ;  therein  the  power  of  the  preaching  of  the 
apostles,  who,  though  illiterate  men,  knew  more  of  what 
was  high  and  holy  than  the  most  learned  of  their  times. 
They  imparted  convictions  which  could  not  be  forgotten, 
but  which  changed  the  nature  of  the  person  so  convinced 
and  made  him  a  new  creature. 

If  we  look  at  the  missionaries  as  they  really  are,  we 
soon  perceive  the  reason  why  their  labour  has  in  a  great 
measure  proved  abortive.  Those  of  the  Catholic  and 
Greek  church,  being  frequently  more  solicitous  about  out- 
ward ceremonies  than  holiness  of  life,  have  in  their  zeal 
not  rarely  forgotten  that  love  which  they  should  have 
inculcated.  Instead  of  setting  the  consciences  of  men  at 
liberty,  they  brought  from  Europe  new  restraints  upon 
them.  They  contented  themselves  with  destroying  idols 
of  wood  and  stone,  but  knew  not  how  to  exterminate 
those  which  held  possession  of  the  mind.  Paul  did  not 
overthrow  the  altar  of  the  unknown  God  at  Athens  ;  but 
he  enlightened  the  minds  of  the  idolaters,  so  that  they  left 
their  temples  to  crumble  to  ruin  of  themselves.  Monks 
brought  the  jealousy  of  their  orders  with  them  from  Europe 
to  distant  parts  of  the  globe,  and  thereby  rendered  them- 
selves a  scandal  and  a  scotf  to  the  nations  which  they 
attempted  to  convert.  They  often  sought  to  enchant  the 
vulgar  by  religious  pomp  ;  but  took  no  pains  to  lead  their 
minds  into  the  proper  track. 

The  Protestant  missionaries  pursued  a  contrary  course. 
Clinging  not  less  closely  to  dogmas  which  are  authorized 
by  symbolical  books,  and  deviating  widely  from  the  spirit 
of  their  Luther  and  Zuingli,  and  still  more  from  that  of 
the  Redeemer,  they  aspired  nevertheless  to  greater  sim* 
plicity  in  faith,  doctrine,  and  life  ;  especially  the  Moravian 
brethren,  the  Methodists,  and  the  like.  Too  frequently, 
however,  has  their  religious  spirit,  especially  that  of  the 
latter,  degenerated  too  much  into  a  transient  excitement 


GENERAL   OBSERVATIONS   ON    ASIA.  127 

of  the  imagination  and  feelings.  Their  missionaries  went 
forth  among  the  heathen  with  a  much  stronger  love  for 
Jesus  than  for  what  is  divine,  and  sought  to  enkindle  in 
them  the  like  flames  of  love  for  the  Saviour,  and  thereby 
for  all  that  is  good  and  virtuous. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  censure  the  course  which  the} 
pursued,  though  it  was  not  adopted  by  any  of  the  great 
apostles  :  there  are  many  ways  that  conduct  to  the  light, 
and  every  one  that  leads  to  God  is  entitled  to  my  reve- 
rence ;  besides,  they  have  individually  gained  many  a 
soul  with  which  they  harmonized.  But  great  effectsupon 
nations  were  and  are  the  less  to  be  expected  from  them: 
as  they  have  frequently  been  deficient  in  the  requisite  pre 
paration  and  in  knowledge  of  the  world,  or  rather  in  the 
divine  wisdom  which  Jesus  imparted  in  his  instructions  to 
the  disciples,  by  means  of  which  these  were  enabled  to 
furnish  even  the  most  learned  of  their  times  with  the  key 
to  the  mystery  of  the  everlasting  world  of  spirits. 

Thus  neither  Protestants  nor  Catholics  have,  by  the 
labour  of  ages,  produced  the  effects  which  they  intended. 
To  crown  the  folly,  it  has  moreover  happened,  that  Ca- 
tholic missionaries  have  made  a  merit  of  attempting  the 
conversion  of  Protestants  ;  and  vice  versa  that  ProtestantF 
have  exerted  themselves  to  make  proselytes  from  among 
Christians  of  the  Romish  church. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  there  have  been  among  both  Catho- 
lic and  Protestant  missionaries  of  every  age  superior  men 
— men  who  have  lived,  and  taught,  and  suffered,  with  a 
spirit  worthy  of  the  first  ages  of  Christianity.  Their  hoh 
labours  are  still  continued.  With  admiration  I  contem- 
plate their  fortitude,  their  discretion,  their  sacrifice  of  self, 
and  their  success  in  humanizing  savage  hordes.  Verily 
not  one  of  your  mightiest  monarchs,  not  one  of  your  most 
renowned  heroes,  has  ever  done  better  service  than  these 
men  of  God  havo  rendered  to  mankind. 


PART   THE  THIRD 


AFRICA. 
CHAPTER  I. 


RISE  AND  DECLINE  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN  THIS  QUARTER  Ol 
THE  GLOBE. 

Tns  immense  region  of  wonders,  beneath  the  glowing 
atmosphere  of  which  all  the  powero  of  Nature  are-  in  a 
higher  state  of  fermentation — Africa — the  country  of  the 
most  gigantic  animals  and  plants,  rich  in  gold,  incense, 
perfumes,  and  dyeing  woods — is  little  better  known  at  the 
present  day  than  it  was  thousands  of  years  since.  We 
are  acquainted  with  scarcely  a  fifth  part  of  it.  Of  the  in- 
terior and  of  its  inhabitants  we  know  next  to  nothing  :  — 
and  yet  this  quarter  of  the  globe  is  not  so  far  distant  from 
Europeans  as  Asia,  and  it  has  had  from  the  remotest  ages 
as  close  an  intercourse  with  them  as  the  latter. 

Even  the  north  coast  of  Africa,  along  the  Mediterra- 
nean Sea,  over  against  Europe,  which  in  the  time  of 
ancient  Rome  was  considered  rather  as  a  portion  of  our 
own  than  of  a  different  quarter  of  the  world,  is  now  with- 
drawn from  its  old  connexion.  The  traitorous  policy,  or 
the  cowardice,  of  the  European  naval  powers,  has  per- 
mitted those  luxuriant  coasts,  those  fertile  plains,  to  be 
for  ages  the  seat  and  harbour  of  unprincipled  pirates, 
whose  barbarous  pride  delights  in  the  humiliation  of 
European  princes  and  the  maltreatment  of  their  subjects. 
Shall  the  civilization  of  Europe  never  be  restored  there  .' 
Is  it  so  difficult  a  task  to  tame  those  demi-savages,  though 
Home  of  old  subdued  the  infinitely  more  powerful  rival 


AFRICA.  129 

state  of  Carthage  ;  and  though  the  rude  tribe  of  Vandals, 
after  exchanging  the  German  shores  of  the  Baltic  foi 
Spain,  made  themselves  masters  in  a  short  time  of  the 
whole  country  from  Tangier  to  Tripoli  ?  Egypt,  again, 
the  cradle  of  ancient  wisdom — into  what  profound  degra- 
dation and  barbarism  is  she  not  sunk  ! 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that,  in  the  very  same  century 
as  the  Messiah  appeared,  disciples  of  his  found  their  way 
to  Egypt,  even  though  the  statement  of  Eusebius  and 
Jerome,  that  Mark,  the  evangelist,  was  the  founder  of 
the  congregation  at  Alexandria,  is  not  to  be  proved.  In 
the  Holy  Scriptures  themselves,  however,  we  find  mention 
made  of  the  residence  of  professors  of  Jesus  in  the  north 
of  Africa,  at  Cyrene,  in  Cyprus,  Crete,  and  the  islands  of 
the  Egean  sea..  Pantaenus,  the  philosopher,  was  in  the 
second,  and  the  zealous  Origen  in  the  third  century,  the 
glory  of  the  flourishing  Christian  church  of  Alexandria. 
From  that  city  the  faith  penetrated  into  the  deserts  ol 
Thebais,  the  first  haunts  of  Christian  monarchism,  and 
through  Nubia  to  Abyssinia,  to  one  of  its  principal  cities, 
called  Axum,  where  Frumentius,  the  Egyptian,  first 
preached  the  gospel  of  Jesus. 

After  Constantine  had  decreed  from  the  imperial  throne 
that  Christianity  should  be  the  religion  of  the  Roman 
world,  it  became  dangerous  to  remain  a  heathen.  Before 
his  time,  indeed,  the  Cross  had  been  planted  along  the 
Mediterranean  to  beyond  the  pillars  of  Hercules,  and 
Carthage  had  already  given  celebrated  teachers  to  Chris- 
tendom :  but  now  Romans  and  Africans  forsook  by  thou- 
sands the  altars  of  the  deposed  deities,  and  prostrated 
themselves  in  adoration  before  the  son  of  Mary. 

Had  not  the  purity  of  the  Christian  faith  been  previ 
ously  disturbed  by  human  inventions  and  priestly  feuds,  it 
must  have  been  affected  by  the  measures  of  Constantine 
and  his  successors.  The  millions  who  betook  themselves 
so  suddenly  to  the  Cross  to  escape  persecution,  to  forward 
their  worldly  prospects,  or  to  float  with  the  current,  could 
not  exchange  their  notions  and  their  feelings  so  speedily 
as  the  altar  of  a  pagan  for  that  of  a  Christian  temple. 
They  embraced  new  usages,  not  new  convictions.  The 
ohurch  only  had  conquered  not  the  religion  of  Jesus:  bill 


130  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

priests  themselves  already  began  to  consider  ceremonies 
as  the  essentials  of  faith. 

Hence  the  converted  nations  on  the  coasts  of  Africa 
were  neither  more  enlightened  nor  improved  in  character  ; 
they  continued  to  be  what  they  had  been.  Ecclesiastical 
squabbles  afforded  fresh  food  for  their  passions.  When 
Genseric,  king  of  the  Vandals,  landed  about  the  middle  ot 
the  fifth  century  with  Arian  Christian  barbarians,  reduced 
Carthage,  and  founded  his  piratical  state,  religion  lost  as 
little  ground  as  it  gained  a  century  later,  when  Justinian's 
general,  Belisarius,  annihilated  the  Vandal  monarchy,  and 
made  the  Catholic  faith  once  more  triumphant. 

The  military  fame  of  Belisarius  was  not  long  servicea- 
ble to  the  church  itself.  It  was  destined,  because  the  Af- 
rican coast  had  been  subjected  to  the  Byzantine  sceptre,  to 
bring  ruin  upon  them  in  the  wars  of  the  eastern  powers 
with  their  hereditary  foes,  the  Persians.  The  second 
Khosru,  having  vanquished  the  Greeks,  overran  Egypt,  and 
reduced  Carthage,  determined  to  set  up  the  worship  of  Or- 
muzd  and  the  sacred  fire  instead  of  the  reverence  of  the 
Cross.  This  happened  at  the  same  time  that  Muhamed 
assumed  the  prophetic  character  in  Arabia,  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  seventh  century.  Twenty  years  later, 
after  Khosru  had  subdued  Africa,  Muhamed's  Arabs  had 
advanced  far  beyond^  the  ruins  of  Memphis,  on  the  Nile. 
The  majority  of  the  Egyptian  nation,  being  Jacobite 
Christians,  full  of  hatred  against  the  Catholics  and  their 
emperor  at  Constantinople,  even  facilitated  the  conquest 
to  Amru,  the  Arabian  general.  Both  the  Christian  parties 
drew  upon  themselves  that  ruin  which,  in  their  blind  re- 
venge, each  had  prepared  for  the  other.  Neither  had  any 
alternative,  but  slavery  and  death,  or  the  religion  of  Mu- 
hamed. Most  of  them  chose  the  latter,  with  the  same 
readiness  and  from  the  same  motives  that  they  had  formerly 
embraced  Christianity.  Before  the  expiration  of  thecen> 
tury,  North  Afrie-t  was  a  dependency  of  Arabia,  and  the 
Gospel  exterminated  by  the  Koran.  In  Egypt  alone,  as 
also  beyond  the  cataracts  of  the  Nile  and  the  deserts  of 
Nubia,  in  Abyssinia,  the  Jacobite  Christians  maintained 
their  ground,  oppressed  by  the  public  scorn,  along  with 
relics  of  the  Catholic,  Greek,  and  Armenian  churches 


AFRICA  131 

while  the  Arabs  extended  thei.  dominion  and  their  faith 
along  the  eastern  and  western  coasts  of  Africa. 

Ever  since  those  days  the  whole  country,  from  the  sandy 
hills  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Nile  to  Mount  Atlas,  has  been 
closed  against  Christianity,  and  its  professors  have  not  trod 
the  soil  of  North  Africa,  but  as  slaves,  or  travelling  traders,  or 
ambassadors  from  European  sovereigns,  bringing  respectful 
tribute  to  the  piratical  princes.  The  Christians  enjoyed 
most  indulgence,  perhaps,  in  Tripoli,  where,  though  equally 
despised  with  the  Jews,  they  are  allowed  the  free  exercise 
of  their  religion,  especially  since  the  family  of  the  Cara- 
manli  ascended  the  throne.  The  Pasha  Yusuf  Caramanli, 
(since  1 195)  the  third  of  that  family,  has  from  motives  oi 
policy,  and  to  please  the  English,  treated  the  Christians 
with  some  consideration.  The  Romish  College  de  Pro- 
paganda  Fide  provided  the  Convent  at  Tripoli  with  three 
monks,  mostly  Franciscans,  for  the  service  of  the  Chris- 
tian consuls  and  their  suites. 

At  Tunis  also  toleration  is  granted,  but  in  a  very  limited 
degree.  Attempts  at  conversion  are  punished  with  death. 
In  the  year  1816  there  were  in  the  capital  only  three  Ca- 
puchins and  two  Franciscans,  and  besides  these  a  Greek 
church  with  one  priest,  who  likewise  officiated  for  the 
Protestant  consuls  and  their  families. 

In  Algiers  there  are  very  few  Christians,  but  the  Jews 
are  so  much  the  more  numerous.  In  1816  the  number  of 
the  latter  was  computed  at  nine  thousand  souls,  who  had 
several  synagogues. 

The  Gospel  was  not  preached  in  the  other  parts  of 
Africa  till  a  much  later  period  than  on  the  north  coast, 
After  the  Portuguese  prince,  Henry  the  Navigator,  had  in 
the  year  1412  awakened  in  his  nation  a  spirit  of  enterprise 
for  the  discovery  of  unknown  regions  in  distant  seas  ; 
after  Madeira  was  found,  Cape  Non  doubled,  the  Senegal 
seen,  the  Line  passed  ;  after  the  Spaniards,  and  then  the 
Dutch,  and  lastly  the  other  naval  powers  of  Europe,  eager 
after  the  gold-dust,  ivory,  spices,  black  slaves,  and  other 
productions  of  Africa,  had  peopled  this  portion  of  the 
globe  with  their  settlements — the  word  of  Christ  was  pro- 
claimed also  along  the  shores  of  the  east  and  west  sides  of 
this  continent. 


132  SUBVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

Of  the  present  state  of  Africa,  one  of  the  recent  publi- 
cations of  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  presents  so 
true  and  so  affecting  a  picture,  that  I  need  not  apologise 
for  transferring  it  to  these  pages. 

Few  parts  of  the  world  claim  a  larger  share  in  the  sym- 
pathy of  Christians  than  Africa  :  not  only  do  we  owe  to 
that  portion  of  our  globe  a  large  debt  of  reparation  and 
kindness  for  the  inexpressible  miseries  inflicted  by  the  slave- 
trade  on  the  inhabitants  of  its  western  and  eastern  shores, 
but  the  deep  moral  ignorance  in  which  her  sable  tribes  are 
in  every  part  involved,  renders  Africa  an  especial  object  of 
religious  charity.  The  slave-trade  excited  wars  and  divi- 
sions among  many  of  the  African  nations  who  had  lived 
comparatively  harmless  among  themselves,  and  arrested 
their  simple  efforts  at  civilization  and  improvement :  some 
of  them  it  could  not  render  more  cruel  than  they  were  : 
but  among  these  if  a  hundredth  part  of  that  effort  had  been 
used  to  establish  a  legitimate  and  civilizing  commerce 
which  was  put  forth  to  obtain  slaves,  and  had  this  been  ac- 
companied by  endeavours  to  introduce  among  them  the 
light  of  the  Christian  faith,  even  these  semi-civilized  barba- 
rians, such  as  the  people  of  the  kingdoms  of  Ashantee, 
Dahomy,  and  others,  must  at  this  time  have  presented  a 
different  character.  It  is  most  melancholy  to  reflect,  that 
along  a  great  part  of  the  western  coast  of  that  continent, 
and  no  small  part  of  the  eastern  too,  professed  Christians 
have  been  known  chiefly  as  exciters  of  and  partakers  in 
the  most  atrocious  deeds — that  they  have  not  only  kept  the 
Africans  back  from  improvement,  but  have  plunged  them 
into  the  lowest  depths  of  cruelty  and  barbarism — and  that 
oven  now,  when  our  country  is  endeavouring  to  use  her 
power  for  purposes  of  mercy  to  the  people  of  that  conti- 
nent, other  European  nations  are  reviving  the  trade  in  hu- 
man beings,  extending  it  in  new  directions,  and  counter- 
acting, as  far  as  may  be  and  with  too  much  efficiency,  the 
endeavours  making  to  extend  knowledge  and  religion  in 
Africa.  This  activity  of  the  wicked  in  doing  mischief  and 
inflicting  misery,  under  the  influence  of  the  lust  of  gain, 
ought  only  to  stimulate  the  activity  of  benevolence  and 
veligious  charity. 

Independently,  however,  of  all  the  evils  which  have  been 


AFRICA,  133 

the  result  of  this  violence  and  aggression  of  nations  pro 
fessing  to  be  Christians,  Africa  presents  a  moral  scene  of 
the  most  affecting  kind.  To  the  North  it  is  involved  in 
Muhamedan  darkness,  delusion,  and  vice  :  in  the  South 
the  people  are  sunk  almost  below  paganism  itself,  having 
scarcely  any  form  of  religion  or  intellectual  activity — 
wretched,  sordid,  and  degraded  to  the  level  of  beasts  : 
high  up  the  East  coast  they  are  in  a  state  of  equal  degra- 
dation, but  with  more  ferocity  :  in  some  parts  of  the  West 
and  tending  to  the  interior,  there  are  several  half-civilized 
kingdoms,  whose  superstitions  are  not  only  gross  but  hi- 
deously cruel :  of  the  central  nations  we  as  yet  know  little, 
of  many  nothing  ;  but  there  is  no  hope  that  any  of  them 
are  in  a  state  much  above  the  rest.  Yet  Africa  contains 
millions  of  immortal  souls  ;  yet  Africa  has,  both  in  former 
times  and  in  our  own  days,  witnessed  the  glorious  and  hal- 
lowing triumphs  of  the  Gospel ;  and  over  all  her  sun- 
burnt plains  and  in  her  trackless  forests  shall  her  children 
ultimately  stretch  out  their  hands  unto  God ! 

This  is,  indeed,  an  object  ofjaith  ;  for  the  present  state 
of  the  Africans  is  awfully  distant  from  all  appearance  of 
such  an  event  considered  generally.  The  habits  of  the 
Caffres  and  Hottentots  are  well  known,  those  of  the  half 
civilized  western  nations  not  so  much  so  ;  but  they  furnish 
a  most  impressive  proof  that  in  many  circumstances,  every 
approach  to  civilization,  while  paganism  and  superstition 
remain,  only  serves  to  increase  human  crime  and  misery. 
They  have  monarchical  government,  an  order  of  nobility 
merchants,  and  agriculturists  ;  they  have  chief  cities,  town?, 
and  villages ;  but  they  are  at  once  the  slaves  of  the  most 
absolute^and  most  diabolical  despotism  and  of  the  most  san- 
guinary superstition.  For  the  slightest  offence  the  life  of 
man  is  taken  away  :  at  every  funeral  the  blood  of  the  com- 
mon people  is  used  to  moisten  the  grave  ;  the  number  slain 
for  tiiis  purpose  is  proportionate  to  the  rank  of  the  deceased; 
and  sometimes  amounts  to  scores  and  hundreds  of  persons  ; 
and  this  too  is  repeated  every  year,  so  that  the  waste  of  hu- 
man life  is  incalculable  and  wholly  to  be  attributed  to  su- 
perstition and  pride. 

Yet,  through  the  mercy  of  God,  has  the  work  of  his 
grace  begun  in  Africa.     In  Sierra  Leone,  on  the  West 
12 


134  SURVEY  OP  CHRISTIANITY. 

the  spectacle  of  a  peaceful  and  happy  Christian  govern- 
ment is  exhibited  in  delightful  contrast  with  all  these  hor- 
rifying scenes— the  fruit  of  superstition  and  the  unchecked 
vices  of  the  human  heart :  there  no  slave  exists — no  blood 
is  spilt — no  oppression  lights  on  the  poorest ;  the  church 
and  the  chapel  receive  the  crowded  worshippers  of  the 
true  God,  and  his  praise  is  heard  in  their  peaceful  dwell- 
ings, the  security  of  which  is  guarded  by  an  equal  law,  as 
powerful  for  the  poor  as  for  the  rich,  for  the  black  peasant 
as  for  his  white  governor.  Southern  Africa  too  now  ex- 
hibits her  converted  tiibes,  and  her  civilization,  carried 
forward  along  with  the  knowledge  of  Christ  and  the  kind 
and  hallowing  influence  ®f  the  Gospel.  Let  us  not  then 
faint  nor  be  discouraged  :  by  the  messengers  of  peace, 
sent  forth  into  all  these  dark  lands,  shall  the  glorious  work 
be  done  under  the  blessing  of  God,  and  the  cruelties  of 
pagan  Africa  be  numbered  only  as  those  of  ancient  pagan 
Britain,  to  call  forth  the  song  of  praise  from  all  her  tribes, 
and  give  new  evidence  to  the  truth  and  power  of  the 
Gospel ! 


CHAPTER  II. 

PRESENT    CHRISTIAN    SECTS    IN    EGYPT . 

In  Egypt  small  remnants  of  the  Jacobite,  Armenian. 
Greek,  and  Catholic  churches  have  maintained  themselves 
under  numberless  indignities  and  public  humiliations  till  the 
present  day.  The  Mussulman  regards  them  with  con- 
tempt. When  a  Christian  does  not  choose  to  walk  through 
the  streets  of  Cairo,  the  ass  is  the  only  animal  that  he  is 
permitted  to  ride.  If  he  meets  a  grandee  he  is  obliged  to 
dismount,  till  the  latter  has  passed  ;  and  he  must  pay  the 
the  same  mark  of  respect  whenever  he  passes  the  house 
of  the  chief  Cadi,  twenty  other  courts  of  justice,  and  the 
principal  mosques,  if  he  would  not  expose  himself  to  vio- 
lence from  the  populace.     Even  European  ambassadors 


EGYPT.  135 

And  consuls,  perhaps  with  the  exception  of  the  English 
alone,  are  forced  to  submit  to  this  degradation. 

Like  the  forsaken  hermitages  and  the  ruins  of  ancient 
convents  that  crown  the  bare  and  rugged  rocks  of  the 
mountains  of  Dshebel  Mokkattcm  on  the  right  bank  of 
the  Nile,  the  Christians  still  subsist  in  Egypt,  a  monument 
of  what  has  been  :  just  as  irreconcileable  in  their  rights 
and  in  their  doctrines  concerning  the  natures  and  persons 
in  Christ,  and  as  full  of  inveterate  enmity  against  each 
other,  as  they  were  a  thousand  years  ago. 

The  most  numerous  of  these  sects  is  that  of  the  Jacob- 
ites or  Coptic  Christians.  With  Jacob,  the  Syrian,  who 
llourished  in  the  sixth  century,  they  admit  but  one  nature 
in  Christ,  and  believe  that  the  Holy  Ghost  proceeded  from 
God  the  Father  only,  and  not  from  the  Son.  These 
Copt's  are  the  gradually  dwindling  relics  of  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  of  Egypt.  Like  the  ancient  Egyptians,  they 
are  of  a  gloomy  disposition,  obstinate,  and  religious  ;  igno- 
rant, servile,  and  callous,  from  the  ill  treatment  which  for 
thousands  of  years  they  have  experienced  from  their  oft- 
changed  rulers.  Their  sacred  books  are  still  written  1x7 
the  Coptic  language  ;  but  this  language,  though  it  has 
long  since  ceased  to  be  the  ancient  Lisan  Faraoum,  or 
language  of  the  Pharaohs,  is  now  scarcely  understood 
even  by  the  priests  themselves.  To  those  religious  opi< 
nions  which  the  eastern  emperors  of  old  forced  them  with 
sword  and  dungeon  to  embrace,  they  still  cling  with  an 
inflexibility,  which  renders  them  insensible  to  the  scorn  ot 
the  Moslems  and  fills  them  with  abhorrence  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  churches. 

When  Amru,  at  the  head  of  the  Arabs,  entered  Egypt 
oleven  hundred  years  ago,  the  number  of  the  Coptic 
Jacobite  bishops  still  amounted  to  seventy  :  it  has  now 
dwindled  to  twelve.  Most  of  these  episcopal  sees  are  in 
Upper  Egypt,  where,  at  a  greater  distance  from  the  head- 
quarters of  their  oppressors,  they  experienced  the  less  mo- 
lestation. Their  patriarch,  however,  who  is  styled  the 
Primate  of  the  churches  of  Nubia  and  Abyssinia,  has  his 
seat  at  Cairo,  where  there  are  twelve  Coptic  churches- 
including  that  at  Fostat,  also  called  Mase-el-atik,  or  Old 
Cairo. 


136  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

The  Greek  Christians  possess  but  two  churches  in  Cairo 
jne  of  these  is  under  the  bishop  of  Mount  Sinai,  the  other 
under  the  patriarch  resident  at  Alexandria.     In  the  latter 
city  there    are  also  several  Jacobite   as    well  as  Greek 
churches.     The  Armenian  and  Catholic  Christians  are 
least  numerous.     The  former  have  but  one  church  in  the 
capital  of  Egypt ;  the  latter  two  churches  and  as  many 
onvents. 
The  Catholics  are  the  most  assiduous  of  these  sects  in 
;he  work  of  conversion.    Jesuits,  Capuchins,  Franciscans, 
and  other  friars,  are  seen  incessantly  and  zealously  labour- 
ing to  increase  their  small  congregations.     They  have  the 
prudence,  however,,  to   abstain  from    making  too  direct 
overtures  to  the  professors  of  the  Koran  ;  their  only  tri- 
umph consists  in  now  and  then  gaining  over  a  Christian 
of   some    other    communion    to    the    Romish    cmirch. 
The  Pacha  regards  these  proceedings  of  the  European 
apostles  with  the  utmost  indifference,  convinced  that  their 
conversions  will  not  make  better  or  worse  citizens,  and 
well  knowing  that  they  often  produce  quarrels,  which  fre* 
quently  furnish  a  pretext  for  imposing  heavy  fines  on  con- 
verters and  converted.     The  monks  of  the  Romish  church 
have  detached  convents  scattered  in  the  Egyptian  towns 
and  even  in  Upper  Egypt,  as  for  instance  that  of  the  Fran- 
ciscans at  Achmina. 

Under  barbarous  rulers,  but  little  illumination  can  be 
expected  from  the  most  despised  portion  of  the  people,  to 
which  the  Christians  belong.  I  am  not  alluding  here  to 
European  settlers,  but  to  those  who  regard  Egypt  as  their 
country  ;  if,  however,  the  place  of  abode  of  men  possessing 
neither  freedom  nor  rights  may  be  called  their  country. 
They  observe  with  slavish  devotion  church  ceremonies 
transmitted  to  them  from  antiquity  ;  and  they  are  ignorant 
and  superstitious  as  their  masters.  They  contemplate 
with  reverence  the  aged  sycamore  of  Matare,  a  village 
near  the  ruins  of  Heliopolis,  five  or  six  miles  from  the 
capital.  Tradition  relates,  that  when  the  holy  family  on 
their  flight  to  Egypt  were  once  seeking  shelter,  this  tree 
opened  to  afford  them  a  retreat.  No  good  Christian 
passes  without  cutting  a  small  piece  from  the  tree,  which 
^eems    nevertheless  to  flourish    in  imperishable  beautv 


ABYSSINIA.  13*5 

With  the  like  devotion  the  Copts  perform  pilgrimage  to  a 
cavern,  which  is  said  to  have  served  for  the  abode  of  the 
holy  family  ;  and  the  Greeks  do  the  same  to  a  pillar  in 
their  church  at  Fostat,  which  is  at  least  celebrated  for 
what  is  rather  a  rare  circumstance — a  useful  miracle.  Any 
person,  namely,  who  has  lost  his  reason,  and  is  bound  to 
this  pillar,  is  sure  to  recover  it,  if  certain  prayers  are  mut- 
tered over  him. 

The  Coptic  congregations  dwell  far  up  the  country  in 
Upper  Egypt,  where  they  possess  at  Achmina  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  churches  in  the  whole  province.  They 
extend  as  far  as  the  falls  of  the  Nile,  on  the  frontiers  of 
Nubia.  There,  in  the  town  of  Dshirdshe,  where  the  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Romish  communion  have  also  an  hospice 
for  the  propagation  of  the  faith,  is  still  the  seat  of  a  Coptic 
bishop.  The  last  vestiges  of  the  Christian  faith  disappear 
at  the  commencement  of  the  hot  region  of  Nubia,  in  the 
kingdoms  of  Sennaar,  Darfur,  Dongala,  and  Dekin  ;  and. 
in  those  unknown  tracts,  a  savage  paganism  alone  goer 
■land  in  hand  with  the  distorted  doctrine  of  Muhamed. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE    JACOBITES   IN    ABYSSINIA FRUITLESS     ATTEMPTS    0* 

THE    CATHOLICS    TO    ESTABLISH    MISSIONS. 

It  is  about  sixty  days'  journey  through  the  deserts  of 
Nubia  to  Abyssinia  or  Habesch.  This  country  is  an 
African  Switzerland,  a  labyrinth  of  valleys,  hills,  and 
mountains,  watered  by  springs,  rivers,  and  lakes.  Beeches 
and  pines  grow  at  the  foot  of  the  lofty  mountains,  the 
summits  of  which  sometimes  glisten  with  snow.  On  the 
verdant  slopes  of  the  hills,  carnations,  tulips,  lilies,  and 
other  beautiful  flowers,  blossom  in  wild  confusion  amid 
the  herbage  of  the  meadows.  The  lion,  the  tiger,  and  the" 
panther  roar  in  the  wilderness,  and  chamois  swarm  on  the 
12* 


-!$&  SURVEY  OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

highest  peaks  of  the  mountains.  The  notes  of  European 
birds  are  heard  in  the  woods  ;  but  the  cassowary  and  the 
ostrich  rove  through  the  steppes  in  the  heart  of  the  country. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  rich  and  wonderful  mountain-re- 
gion came  over,  no  doubt,  at  some  very  remote  period  from 
the  neighbouring  Arabia,  from  which  they  are  separated 
only  by  the  Red  Sea.  Their  figure,  their  physiognomy, 
and  their  lank  hair,  confirm  this  conjecture  ;  but  their  dark 
olive  complexion  seem  to  denote  an  intermixture  with  some 
nore  ancient  aboriginal  race,  unless  this  colour  be  the  effect 
of  a  hot  sun  upon  a  long  scries  of  generations.  As  far  as 
we  can  learn  from  their  traditions  and  books,  their  state  suf- 
fered many  revolutions  from  wars  and  insurrections,  till 
the  sovereignty  of  the  whole  country  became  invested  in 
one  family  ;  for  the  sacred  language  in  which  their  reli- 
gious books,  their  most  ancient  documents,  are  written,  is 
now  the  language  only  of  the  shepherds  of  the  country. 
It  is  called  the  Tigre"  language.  Tigre  is  part  of  the 
mountain-tract,  contiguous  to  the  Red  Sea,  containing  the 
ancient  Axum,  with  the  remains  of  its  former  magnifi- 
cence, among  which  an  obelisk  of  granite  eighty  feet  high 
is  still  standing.  There  the  kings  of  Habesch  are  to  this 
day  solemnly  consecrated.  But  the  language  of  the 
sovereign  and  the  grandees  is  the  Amhara,  so  called  from 
one  of  the  most  central  provinces  of  the  country.  The 
residence  of  the  Negus  or  king  of  Habesch  is  at  Gondar 
in  the  province  of  Dcmbea. 

The  Abyssinians  are  a  pastoral  people,  who  barter  the 
productions  of  their  country  with  foreigners,  because  they 
are  not  yet  acquainted  with  money.  Just  as  they  were  de- 
lineated by  Mr.  Salt  in  1810,  so  they  were  described  by 
Guerreiro,  the  Jesuit,  in  1G08.  "Among  them,"  says 
he,  "  we  meet  with  fewer  vices  than  in  many  countries  of 
Europe,  where  our  holy  faith  bears,  sway.  They  have 
great  bluntness  in  conversation,  much  innocence  in  their 
manners,  nothing  savage,  nothing  cruel." 

The  Portuguese  navigators  had  discovered  Habesch  so 
early  as  in  the  second  half  of  the  fifteenth  century.  From 
that  time  commenced  a  commercial  intercourse,  and  a 
closer  connection  between  these  Africans  and  the  bold 
Europeans  who  succoured  them  against  the  predatory. 
Moors  and  Bcduins,  in  the  neighbouring  country  of  Adei 


ABYSSIMU.  139 

or  Zaila.  The  Portuguese  brought  with  them  some  of 
their  priests  to  Habesch.  These  found  there,  to  their  no 
small  astonishment,  a  Christian  nation  which  had  pre- 
served its  faith  from  time  immemorial,  though  surrounded 
by  Muhamedan  and  pagan  neighbours.  The  Christianity 
of  Abyssinia,  derived  from  the  earliest  ages  of  our  era, 
had,  it  is  true,  nothing  in  common  with  the  doctrines  of 
the  West.  The  Sabbath  was  observed  as  well  as  Sunday, 
circumcision  as  well  as  baptism,  and  the  holy  communion 
together  with  abstinence  from  many  kinds  of  food  prohi- 
bited by  the  law  of  Moses.  A  close  affinity  was  dis- 
covered between  its  tenets  and  those  of  the  Jacobite 
Christians  in  Egypt.  The  Abyssinians  knew  but  of  one 
nature  in  Christ,  regardless  whether  western  ecclesiastical 
councils  had  condemned  this  dogma  or  not.  That  many 
teachers  of  the  word  of  God  had  formerly  come  to  them 
from  Egypt,  was  proved  by  the  circumstance  that  the 
head  of  their  church,  their  patriarch,  the  abuna  (our 
father),  who  resided  in  the  town  of  Dobsan,  acknowledged 
himself  a  suffragan  to  the  Coptic  patriarch. 

So  much  the  more  intimate  now  became  the  connection 
between  the  Portuguese  and  the  Abyssinians.  King 
Etana  Denghel,  who  was  on  the  throne  in  1525,  even  sent 
an  ambassador  to  Lisbon  to  conclude  a  treaty  of  amity, 
and  solicited  Father  Juan  Bermudez,  who  had  come  to 
Habesch  in  the  year  1520  with  Alvarez,  viceroy  of  India, 
to  accept  the  post  of  abuna  or  patriarch  of  Abyssinia, 
when  Mark,  the  former  abuna,  was  lying  on  his  death- 
bed. Bermudez  cheerfully  assumed  the  office,  in  which 
he  was  confirmed  by  Pope. Paul  III.  who  unexpectedly 
found  his  sacred  authority  extended  into  the  interior  of  a 
quarter  of  the  globe  that  was  scarcely  yet  discovered. 
This  state  of  things,  however,  was  of  but  short  duration. 
The  rude  zeal  of  the  Portuguese  soldiers,  to  whom  the 
religious  rites  of  the  Abyssinians  appeared  absurd  or 
impious,  exasperated  the  people  ;  and  when,  after  the 
decease  of  the  old  king,  Father  Bermudez  required  his  son 
Claudius  to  swear  allegiance  to  St.  Peter,  that  is,  to  the 
Pope  of  Rome,  the  young  prince  replied  :  "  What  care  I 
for  him  ?  I  call  thee  no  longer  abuna.  Thou  art  a  pa- 
triarch of  the  strangers,  a  man  that  worships  four  gods.,; 
The  Father  threatened  him  with  excommunication  j  on 


140  SURVilY   OP  CHRISTIANITY. 

which  Claudius  exclaimed  ;  "  Thou  art  thyself  excommu 
nicated  l"     The  king  actually  invited  a   new  patriarch 
from  Egypt,  and  Bermudez  was  obliged  to  quit  Abyssinia. 

The  intercourse  between  Portugal  and  Habesch  was 
nevertheless  kept  up.  Ignatius  Loyola  burned  with  desire 
to  establish,  by  means  of  his  disciples,  a  mission  in  the 
country.  He  obtained  the  approbation  of  the  courts  of 
Rome  and  Lisbon.  In  the  year  1556,  twelve  Jesuits 
travelled  to  Abyssinia.  Their  journey,  however,  was 
fruitless,  for  their  intemperate  and  contentious  zeal  soon 
rendered  them  odious  alike  to  prince  and  people. 

At  a  later  period  (1G04)  Peter  Pays,  the  Jesuit,  was 
more  successful.  By  his  abilities  and  address  he  prepos: 
sessed  the  court  in  his  favour,  while  his  assistants  preached 
the  Roman  Catholic  doctrine  in  the  country.  King 
Seltam  Seghed  even  went  so  far  as  to  issue  an  ordinance, 
commanding  that  no  one  should  maintain,  upon  penalty 
of  death,  that  there  is  but  one  nature  in  Jesus  Christ. 
This  and  similar  mandates,  which  threatened  the  ancient 
religion  of  the  people,  spread  discontent  over  the  greatest 
part  of  Abyssinia.  The  king,  under  the  guidance  of  the 
Jesuits,  had  recourse  to  rigour,  which  he  carried  to  cruelty. 
The  consequences  were  insurrections  and  civil  wars, 
which  made  the  throne  totter.  Many  of  the  churches 
built  by  the  Jesuits,  which  were  more  like  fortresses  than 
temples,  were  demolished  by  the  people.  The  king,  to 
preserve  his  crown,  was  obliged  to  grant  permission  to  all 
to  follow  the  dictates  of  their  consciences.  While  J(he 
Jesuits  murmured,  the  professors  of  the  ancient  faith  sang  : 
"  Hallelujah  !  for  the  sheep  of  Habesch  are  delivered 
from  the  wolves  of  the  West !" 

On  the  decease  of  Seltam  Seghed,  in  the  year  1632, 
one  of  the  first  public  measures  of  his  son,  Alan  Seghed, 
was  the  expulsion  of  the  Jesuits  and  all  the  Catholics. 
Their  very  name  has  continued  to  be  an  abomination  to 
the  people,  even  to  the  present  day.  Some  Jesuits,  who 
ventured  to  stay  in  Habesch,  in  expectation  of  better 
times,  were  seized  and  executed  as  contemners  of  the 
royal  commands.  Every  subsequent  attempt  to  establish 
missions  has  been  frustrated.  Three  Franciscans,  who 
i'linc   into   the  countrv  at  the   commencement  of  thf 


ABYSSINIA.  141 

eighteenth  century,  were  executed  in  1710.  The  people, 
though  suspicious  of  Europeans,  whose  zeal  for  making 
converts  is  odious  to  them,  are  nevertheless  mild  and 
courteous  to  those  who  interfere  not  in  religious  matters. 
While  pagans,  Muhamedans,  and  Jews,  are  tolerated  in 
Abyssinia,  the  settlement  of  western  Christians  is  viewed 
with  a  jealous  eye. 

The  most  important  circumstance  that  has  recently 
happened  for  Abyssinia,  is  the  translation  of  the  Bible 
into  the  Amhara  language.  M.  Asselin,  charge  d'affaires 
to  the  French  consul-general  in  Egypt,  accidentally  met 
at  Cairo  with  a  poor  old  man,  who,  having  been  teacher 
to  Mr.  Bruce  and  Sir  William  Jones,  and  being  complete- 
master  of  Ethiopic  literature,  assisted  him  in  the  execu- 
tion of  the  work,  which  has  been  printed  at  the  expense 
of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 

The  report  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  for 
1820-1  states,  that  Professor  Lee  had  turned  much  of  his 
attention  to  the  subject  of  Abyssinia,  and  that  several 
other  members  of  the  University  of  Cambridge  were 
devoting  themselves  with  his  assistance  to  forward  the 
opening  plans  in  behalf  of  that  country.  To  prepare 
Abyssinia  for  the  reception  and  use  of  the  Scriptures,  in 
both  the  ecclesiastical  and  vernacular  languages  of  the 
country,  and  to  supply  editions  of  them  suited  to  their 
purposes,  are  objects  worthy  of  years  of  toil  by  the  best 
scholars  of  our  land. 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  has  availed  itself 
of  all  the  means  at  its  disposal  to  provide  such  editions  ; 
and,  by  the  active  aid  of  its  learned  coadjutors,  the  Four 
Gospels  in  Amharic,  procured  for  the  Society  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Jewett  in  Egypt,  were  printed  and  forwarded  in  1825 
to  Abyssinia.  The  Ethiopic  Scriptures  were  at  the  same 
time  in  preparation.  Two  Lutheran  clergymen  from  the 
seminary  at  Basle,  destined  to  undertake  a  journey  to  Abys- 
sinia for  the  purposes  of  investigation  and  research,  prepa- 
ratory to  the  commencement  of  a  mission  in  that  country, 
proceeded  towards  the  end  of  the  year  1826  to  Cairo,  the 
grand  resort  of  North  African  intercourse,  where  other 
missionaries  had  previously  arrived  for  the  purpose  of  being 
permanently  stationed  there,    The  former  met  in  Egypt, 


142  SURVEY    OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

with  Girgis,  an  intelligent  and  well-disposed  native  ol 
Abyssinia,  who  had  been  sent  by  the  king  to  procure  an 
abuna,  or  bishop,  from  the  Armenian  patriarch,  the  former 
abuna  having  been  expelled  for  intemperance.  With  this 
person  the  missionaries  visited  Palestine  and  Syria,  and, 
after  an  intercourse  of  many  months  had  confirmed  their 
mutual  regard,  they  found,  on  their  return  to  Cairo,  an 
Englishman,  named  Coffin,  become  by  long  residence  an 
Abyssinian  in  sentiment  and  habits,  deputed  by  the  ras  of 
Tigre,  who  is  in  a  state  of  discord  with  the  king,  and  had 
at  first  received  the  expelled  abuna,  but  had  now  sent  to 
the  Coptic  patriarch  for  another  abuna.  The  ras  further 
solicits  the  interference  of  the  English  to  fortify  Amphila, 
on  the  coast  of  his  province,  as  a  place  of  trade,  and  asks 
for  mechanics  and  artisans,  and  especially  a  physician. 

Mr.  Coffin  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter  to  the  British  go- 
vernment containing  these  bequests,  and  had  directions  to 
proceed  to  England,  if  practicable,  to  deliver  it.  The 
missionaries  justly  consider  this  combination  of  circum- 
stances as  extraordinary  ;  and  though  one  of  them,  on 
account  of  his  knowledge  of  medicine,  may  probably  be 
detained  by  the  ras  at  Tigre,  he  purposes  to  make  it  a 
condition  of  taking  up  his  residence  there,  that  he  shall 
be  allowed  to  accompany  his  colleague  in  visiting  all  parts 
of  Abvssinia. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

EAST    COAST    OF    AFRICA MADAGASCAR ISLE    OF 

MOURliON. 

From  the  mountains  of  Abyssinia,  for  a  range  of  some 
ihousands  of  miles  along  the  east  coast  of  Africa  to  the 
Cape  territory,  consisting  of  regions  hot,  moist,  fertile,  but 
insalubrious  for  Europeans,  reigns  paganism,  or  the  reli- 
gion of  Muhamed,  or  a  mixture  of-both.     The  Portuguesf 


EAST   COAST    OF   AFRICA.  141> 

still  possess  here  some  settlements,  relics  of  the  days  of 
their  glory,  at  Mozambique,  Monomotapa,  Quiloa,  and 
Sofala.  At  Mozambique,  a  small  insular  town,  and  the 
chief  station  of  the  Portuguese,  there  are  two  convents 
and  as  many  churches.  The  place  is  also  the  seat  of  a 
bishop.  For  centuries  but  little  has  been  done  for  the 
propagation  of  Christianity,  and  that  little  without  success. 
Missionareis  were  frequently  wanting,  and,  where  pro- 
mising beginnings  were  made,  all  soon  relapsed  into  its 
former  barbarism.  In  Monomotapa  the  Jesuits  were  long 
actively  engaged  :  but  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  apparent 
disposition  of  the  people  for  Christianity  was  so  much  the 
result  of  instruction  as  of  fear  of  the  Portuguese,  whose 
protection  or  military  aid  was  of  greater  consequence  to 
the  natives  than  their  religion. 

All  the  attempts  made  to  convert  the  formidable  natives 
of  the  extensive  island  of  Madagascar,  about  800  miles  by 
200,  proved  till  lately  still  more  unsuccessful.  Its  popu- 
lation, computed  at  four  millions  of  souls,  who  combine 
the  most  deplorable  inventions  of  paganism  and  the  rudest 
notions  of  virtue  with  the  belief  in  an  only  Supreme  Being, 
continued  to  be  sworn  enemies  to  the  Europeans.  They 
were  but  too  well  acquainted  with  these  Europeans,  who 
come  to  annihilate  the  independence  of  nations  and  to 
make  themselves  masters  of  the  natural  wealth  of  their 
countries.  So  recently  as  the  year  1815,  the  British  set- 
tlement formed  there  was  razed  to  the  ground,  and  every 
European  inhabitant  of  it  massacred  without  mercy. 

I  shall  say  nothing  of  the  earlier  efforts  of  individual 
missionaries,  among  whom  the  French  were  particularly 
active,  because  they  were  productive  of  no  benefit  in 
Madagascar. 

Prospects  more  pleasing  to  the  benevolent  mind  have 
since  opened  in  this  island.  In  1821  a  treaty  was  conclu- 
ded between  the  British  governor  of  the  Isle  of  France,  and 
Radama,  King  of  Madagascar,  for  the  extinction  of  the 
slave-trade  among  his  subjects.  According  to  a  stipula- 
tion of  this  treaty  ten  Madagascar  youths  were  sent  to  the 
Mauritius  and  ten  to  England,  to  be  instructed  in  useful 
arts  with  a  view  to  promote  civilization  in  their  own  coun- 
try.    Missionaries  had  previously  been  received  at  Tanann 


144  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

rivoo,  the  capital  of  King  Radama,  who  had  even  placed 
under  their  care  for  education  sixteen  native  children,  three 
of  whom  were  sons  of  his  own  sister,  one  of  them  heir-ap- 
earentto  the  crown,  and  the  rest  of  the  children  of  differ- 
ent nobles.  Other  schools  were  established,  and  the  mis- 
sionaries applied  themselves  assiduously  to  the  study  of  the 
language  of  the  island.  Missionary  artisans  were  sent 
out,  preparations  were  made  for  the  erection  of  cotton  and 
silk-works,  and  it  was  even  in  contemplation  to  introduce 
the  mulberry-tree  into  Madagascar. 

Still  more  recent  accounts  assure  us  that  prejudice  is 
gradually  giving  way  among  the  natives,  and  to  this  end 
the  example  and  decisive  measures  of  King  Radama  pow- 
erfully conduce.  He  has  abolished  infanticide  and  some 
other  inhuman  and  superstitious  customs,  and  enacted 
laws  tending  to  the  encouragement  of  industry  and  civil- 
ization. By  a  late  treaty  with  the  chiefs  of  an  extensive 
portion  of  the  island,  inhabited  by  people  called  Sacalaves, 
he  is  become  the  ruler  of  at  least  two-thirds  of  Madagas- 
car :  and,  considering  the  enlightened  and  liberal  charac- 
ter of  this  sovereign,  that  event  cannot  but  be  regarded  as 
auspicious  to  the  extension  both  of  Christianity  and  civil- 
ization. 

Some  of  the  youths  educated  in  England,  under  the  care 
of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  have  returned  to  their 
own  country  to  communicate  to  others  the  useful  know- 
ledge which  they  have  here  acquired. 

The  number  of  native  children  of  both  sexes  under  in- 
struction in  the  twenty-nine  schools  established  by  the 
missionaries  in  the  environs  of  the  capital,  exceeds  two 
thousand  ;  and  some  of  those  edusated  at  the  central  school 
or  Royal  College,  at  Tananarivoo,  are  at  present  usefully 
engaged  as  superintendents  of  schools  in  the  country.  In 
that  institution  there  are  now  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
boys  ;  and  the  king  has  signified  his  pleasure  that  twelve 
of  the  most  promising  of  them  shall  receive  instruction  in 
Greek  and  Latin.  A  public  examination  is  annually  held 
at  the  capital,  on  which  occasions  the  king  usually  pre- 
sides ;  and  he  enters  with  great  interest  into  all  the  details 
of  the  meeting.  A  Society  in  aid  of  the  schools  has  been 
established  at  Tananarivoo.  with  the  sanction  of  the  king. 


MADAGASCAR— ISLE    OF   BOURBON.  145 

and  is  denominated  The  Madagascar  Missionary  Schoo; 
Society.  From  the  latest  reports  it  appears  that  the  mis- 
sionaries are  zealously  exerting  themselves  to  introduct 
the  knowledge  of  letters  among  the  numerous  population 
of  this  extensive  island,  chiefly  with  a  view  to  render  the 
natives  capable  of  reading  the  Scriptures.  A  translation 
of  the  New  Testament  into  their  language  has  been  com- 
pleted ;  the  missionaries  are  proceeding  with  the  books  of 
the  Old  Testament :  and  a  printing-press,  with  the  requi- 
site appendages,  has  been  sent  out  to  this  station. 

From  among  the  youths  trained  in  the  Royal  College 
eighteen  have  lately  been  selected  for  military  service  by 
command  of  the  king,  who,  finding  his  endeavours  for  the 
government  of  the  country  cramped  and  sometimes  para- 
lyzed, for  want  of  agents  capable  of  communicating  with 
him  in  writing,  is  now  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  using 
all  means  in  his  power  for  promoting  the  instruction  of  his 
people — a  measure  which  can  scarcely  fail  to  conduce  to 
the  diffusion  of  useful  knowledge,  civilization,  and  Chris 
Tianity. 

In  the  other  smaller  islands  off  the  east  coast  of  Africa, 
such  as  the  Isle  of  Bourbon  and  the  Isle  of  France,  Chris 
tianity  is  pretty  general  among  the  scanty  population. 
Slaves  themselves  receive  some  Jittle  religious  instruction* 
In  all  the  other  islands  of  this  ocean,  for  instance  in  the 
Comorra  islands,  on  the  coast  of  Zanguebar,  the  peo- 
ple, mostly  subject  to  Muhamedan  conquerors,  are  stil ' 
heathen. 


13 


146  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY 


CHAPTER  V. 

''APE    OF    GOOD    HOPE  —  PROTESTANT    MISSIONS    FOR    TH* 
CONVERSION    OF   THE    HOTTENTOTS,    CAFFRES,    &-C. 

The  Cape  of  Good  Hope  forms  the  southernmost  poinf 
of  the  African  continent.  The  Dutch,  under  Jan  van 
Ilibek,  conquered  and  took  possession  of  it  in  1653.  In 
Table  Bay  they  erected  and  fortified  Cape  Town,  a  place 
which,  from  its  situation,  must  be  of  importance  to  Euro- 
peans while  the  maritime  commerce  of  the  East  Indies 
continues  to  be  so. 

The  Dutch  were  for  a  long  period  merely  Dutch,  that  is. 
merchants.  To  humanize  men  was  one  of  the  last  pursuits 
in  which  they  would  have  thought  of  engaging.  About 
the  religious  instruction  of  their  own  slaves  they  concerned 
themselves  but  little.  There  were  scarcely  any  schools  at 
Cape  Town,  and  those  which  did  exist  were  in  a  wretched 
state.  Good  families  sent  their  children  to  Europe  for 
education.  The  Calvinists,  who  possess  most  influence  at 
Cape  Town,  long  denied  their  Lutheran  fellow  Christians 
the  privilege  of  having  a  church  ;  it  was  not  till  1779  that 
the  latter,  after  surmounting  numerous  obstacles,  were  al- 
lowed the  public  exercise  of  their  religion  :  and  it  was  not 
before  the  conclusion  of  the  eighteenth  century  that,  in 
Holland  itself,  the  propagation  of  a  better  faith  among  the 
heathen  in  the  Dutch  colonies  began  to  be  seriously 
thought  of.  Still  less  was  done  towards  this  end  at  Cape 
Town  and  among  the  neighbouring  savages  than  in  the 
other  Batavian  settlements. 

With  the  reduction  of  Cape  Town  by  the  English,  du- 
ring the  war  of  the  French  revolution  (in  1795),  com- 
menced a  new  era  for  the  heathen  of  southern  Africa. 
The  London  Missionary  Society,  the  United  Brethren, 
and  the  Wesleyan  Methodists,  entered  with  laudable  emu- 
lation upon  their  labours  in  the  sacred  cause. 

The  nearest  neighbours  to  Cape  Town  are  the  Hotten- 
tots, a  poor  slothful  tribe,  possessing  few  ideas,  who  dwell 


CAPE   OF   GOOD   HOP  I.  141 

hi  scattered  kraals  or  villages,  rear  cattle  and  sheep,  pa) 
scarcely  any  attention  to  agriculture,  and  have  acquired 
but  little  taste  for  civilization  from  their  proximity  for  two 
centuries  past  to  Europeans.  The  people  of  more  remote 
regions  lead  a  wandering  life,  as  they  have  done  for  thou- 
sands of  years. 

So  early  as  1736,  the  Moravian  Brethren,  in  their  zeal 
for  the  conversion  of  the  natives,  had  begun  to  collect  a 
little  congregation  of  Christian  Hottentots  at  Gnadenthal. 
George  Schmidt,  a  pious  German,  was  their  first  apostle, 
Gnadenthal  is  situated  in  a  narrow  fertile  valley,  about 
135  miles  east  by  north  from  Cape  Town.  The  Dutch 
East  India  Company,  however,  in  their  mercantile  policy- 
disapproved  the  undertaking,  and  even  deemed  it  danger- 
ous to  the  interests  of  the  colony.  They  accordingly 
prohibited  the  propagation  of  Christianity,  and  prevented 
it  till  the  year  1792.  Not  till  then  did  they  yield  to  the 
repeated  solicitations  of  the  Brethren,  and  grant  them 
permission  to  send  over  missionaries  again.  George 
Schmidt  had  taughtta  few  Hottentots  to  read,  and  left  them 
a  Dutch  Bible  ;  and  this  little  had  been  sufficient  to  keep 
the  spark  of  Christianity  alive  among  them.  The  con- 
gregation has  since  increased  from  year  to  year,  and  six 
missionaries  soon  found  abundant  employment  in  teaching 
and  diffusing  European  civilization.  In  1816  there  were 
at  Gnadenthal  two  hundred  and  forty-four  houses,  inha 
bited  by  twelve  hundred  and  seventy- six  persons  ;  but, 
owing  to  the  removal  of  several  families  to  the  new  settle- 
ment of  Elim,  their  number  was  reduced  in  1825  to  twelve 
hundred. 

The  appearance  of  this  Hottentot  town,  with  its  church. 
its  school,  and  its  busy  artisans,  induced  the  British  go- 
vernor, the  Earl  of  Caledon,  in  1808,  to  grant  the  Mora- 
vians a  site  for  a  new  mission,  about  forty  miles  north- 
ward of  Cape  Town,  on  the  coast.  This  is  Gronekloof 
(Greendale).  Here  resided  from  sixty  to  seventy  Hot- 
tentots in  twelve  huts.  The  missionaries  immediately 
fell  to  work,  erected  a  school,  taught  the  operations  of 
agriculture  and  gardening,  burned  down  the  neighbouring 
woods,  which  were  the  haunt  of  tigers,  and  the  whole 
country  soon  assumed  a  different  aspect  under  their  hands. 


141  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIA2HT\  • 

So  early  as  1813,  forty-four  Christian  families  dwelt  then 
together  in  neat  habitations,  ami  in  1827  the  place  had 
Jive  hundred  and  eighteen  inhabitants.  At  another  mis- 
sion to  which,  in  honour  of  Lord  Caledon,  his  name  wa> 
given,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  eastward  from 
Cape  Town,  six  hundred  Hottentots  were  settled  in  1816. 
Though  circumstances  caused  the  relinquishment  of  this 
station  in  180C.  it  was  re-established  m  1821.  with  the 
'Oncurrence  of  the  government. 

The  United  Brethren  have  also  settlements  atllemel  in 

Varde.  near  Caledon.  at  Elim,  near  Cape  Aiguilles,  and 
at  Enon,  on  the  Witte  River,  near  Algoa  Bay.     On  the 

nvitation  of  the  colonial  government,  they  are  preparing 
to  extend  their  labours  beyond  the  borders  of  the  colony, 
by  adding  a  sixth  settlement  among  the  Tambookies  to 
the  five  enumerated  above.  It  appears  that  these  people, 
who,  under  their  chieftain,  Powana,  possess  an  exten- 
sive and  fertile  tract  of  country  bordering  on  the  district  of 
Somerset,  having,  like  other  tribes,  suffered  from  the 
inroads  of  the  Mantatees,  applied  to  the  colonial  govern- 
ment for  protection:  but  this  could  not  be  afforded  beyond 
:lie  bounds  of  the  colony,  ami  they  were  unwilling  to 
remove  within  its  territory  and  to  leave  their  fine  country 
a  prey  to  others.  After  the  defeat  of  the  Mantatees. 
Powana  begged  the  colonial  government  to  use  its  influ- 
ence for  the  establishment  vC  a  missionary  institution 
among  his  people  :  and  government  proposed  the  mea- 
sure to  the  Brethren,  who,  after  visiting  the  Tambookit 
chief,  acceded  to  the  application. 

The  London  Missionary  Society  also  has  establishments 

\t  Bethelsdorp.  founded  in  180C,  about  four  hundred  and 
fiftj  miles  eastward  of  Gape  Town,  near  Algoa  Bay. 
where  twelve  hundred  Hottentots  are  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture, rearing  cattle,  and  various  trades  ;  at  Tlieopolis. 
sixty  miles  north-east  of  Bethelsdorp  ;  at  Pacaltsdorp. 
two  hundred  and  forty-live  miles  east  of  the  Cape;  at 
TIankey,  a  new  station,  named  after  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Society,  near  the  Chamtoos  River,  between  Bethelsdorp 
and  Pacaltsdorp  ;   ami  at  Paarl,  Tulbagh,  and  Bosjesvehl. 

irom  thirty-five  to  seventy-five  miles  distant  from  Cap* 

Town. 


CAPE    OF  GOOD   UOPL.  14^ 

In  Albany,  a  district  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  Colony. 
the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  has  its  chief  station  at 
Graham's  Town,  with  subordinate  Nation:*  at  Salem  and 
several  other  places. 

Farther  in  the  interior  of  South  Africa,  as  far  as  the 
Great  Orange  River,  dwell  the  roving  tribes  of  the  Bos- 
jesmans,  the  Namaquas,  the  Coranas,  arid  others.  All 
these,  like  the  Cadres  in  general,  are  a  handsome  vigor- 
ous race  of  men,  of  a  brown  colour,  and  with  woolk 
hair.  Here,  in  luxuriant  valleys,  enclosed  by  immense 
sandy  deserts,  vast  forest.-,  and  detached  ranges  of  hill.-. 
they  subsist  by  some  little  agriculture  and  the  produce  of 
their  herds  of  cattle.  Some  of  them  have  a  notion  of  u 
.supreme,  invisible  Being — but  the  belief  in  sorcery  and 
conjuration  is  the  religion  of  most.  Many  of  thern  arc 
reported  to  have  never  yel  reflected  whether  that  which 
icels  and  thinks  in  them  be  any  thing  more  than  the  bod) 
or  not.  When  Campbell  asked  two  Bosjesmans,  "  Who 
placed  the  sun  yonder  in  the  firmament  and  prevents  it 
from  falling  V* — they  replied,  u  We  cannot  tell,  but  have 
often  wondered  at  it  ourselves." 

With  pious  ardour  and  self-denial  the  missionaries  have 
advanced  beyond  the  Orange  River  into  the  very  heart  ol 
?!ie  Griqua  country.  Their  missions  extend  to  the  town 
of  Griqua  itself,  and  into  the  territory  of  the  Bootsuan- 
nas,  who  surpass  the  other  tribes  in  knowledge,  and  even 
understand  the  art  of  working  copper  and  iron.  At  Lat- 
takoo,  the  capital  of  the  latter,  situated  on  the  river  ol 
the  same  name,  at  the  distance  of  six  hundred  and  thirty 
miles  from  the  Cape,  King  Mateebe,  on  his  return  from 
a  jackal  hunt,  granted  thern  permission  to  teach  among 
his  people.  "  Send  your  priests,"  said  he,  "  I  will  be  a 
father  to  them."  The  town  of  Lattakoo,  which  is  neat!) 
built,  contains  about  fifteen  hundred  houses  and  eight 
thousand  inhabitants.  The  people  manifest  a  certain 
degree  of  civilization  and  considerable  mechanical  indus 
try.  Twenty  other  great  tribes,  still  farther  northward  in 
the  interior  of  Africa,  all  speak  the  language  of  the  Boot 
duannas,  and  are  said  to  be  more  polished  than  the  inha- 
bitants of  Lattakoo. 

Attempts  to  establish  missions  have  also  been  made  in 
13* 


,;>l>  SURVEY   OF   CIIRISTIAKITY. 

the  immense  territory  of  the  red  Caffres,  on  the  east  coast, 
to  the  north  of  the  Great  Fish  River,  where  the  Tamboo- 
kies,  the  Mambookies,  the  Makinas,  with  their  copper 
and  iron  mines,  and  other  tribes,  dwell  in  proud  indepen- 
dence, in  regions  never  before  visited  by  any  European. 

The  number  of  the  Caffres  subject  to  the  three  chiefs, 
T'Gaika,  Hinza,  and  Slambie,  is  computed  at  about 
130,000  souls.  The  Tambookies  amount  to  about  the 
same  number,  and  their  most  distant  kraalls  are  not  much 
more  than  two  hundred  miles  from  the  territory  of  the 
Cape.  The  Wesleyan  and  the  London  Missionary  Socie- 
ties have  stations  in  the  CafTre  country  ;  the  introduction 
of  Christianity  seems  to  be  encouraged  by  some  of  the 
most  powerful  of  the  chiefs  ;  and  hopes  are  entertained 
ihat,  from  the  prudent  measures  of  the  local  Government 
of  the  Cape  on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  the  confi- 
dence with  which  the  natives  have  been  inspired  by  their 
intercourse  with  the  missionaries,  the  wars  which  till  re- 
cently were  constantly  occurring  on  the  borders  will  give 
place  to  a  state  of  settled  peace. 

During  the  last  years,  however,  there  have  been  great 
commotions  among  the  tribes  to  the  eastward  of  Caffraria. 
The  whole  land  has  been  in  a  state  of  warfare,  and  thou- 
sands of  the  wretched  inhabitants,  apparently  the  rem- 
nants of  various  tribes,  driven  from  their  respective  coun- 
tries, have  sought  an  asylum  among  the  Tambookies  and 
the  Caffres.  These  wars  seem  to  have  commenced  near 
Delagoa  Bay  ;  and  some  of  the  tribes  to  have  proceeded 
northward,  others  in  a  westerly  direction,  and  others 
toward  the  Caffre  frontier.  Great  numbers  appear  to 
have  perished  from  famine  ;  but  these  restless  tribes  arc 
now  again  at  peace. 

In  the  Bootsuanna  country  the  operations  of  the  mis- 
sionaries sent  out  by  the  London  and  Wesleyan  Societies 
have  been  lately  suspended,  in  consequence  of  the  con- 
tentions of  different  tribes,  but  the  labourers  have 
since  returned  to  their  posts.  Jn  this  country  the  scarcity 
of  rain  is  found  to  be  a  great  obstacle  to  agriculture.  The 
missionaries  assured  the  Rev.  Dr.  Philip,  at  the  time  of 
his  visit  in  1825,  that  a  shower  to  moisten  the  earth  is  a 
*are  circumstance  j  and  that  for  five  years  they  had  not 


CAPE  or  GOOD   HOVE.  151 

seen  a  drop  of  rain-water  running  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Accordingly  their  sole  dependence  for  corn  and 
vegetables  is  upon  irrigation,  and,  to  procure  water  for 
this  purpose  at  New  Lattakoo,  they  had  to  cut  a  channel 
two  miles  in  length  and  from  three  to  five  feet  in  width.  It 
is  rarely  that  even  a  cloud  is  seen.  Clouds  and  shade  im- 
part to  a  Bootsuanna  a  more  lively  idea  of  felicity  than 
sunshine  and  fine  weather  to  an  Englishman.  In  the 
language  of  these  people  pulo,  rain,  is  the  only  word  which 
they  have  for  a  blessing — and  showers  of  rain  are  truly 
showers  of  blessings. 

In  the  country  of  the  Namaquas,  the  London  Mission- 
ary Society  has  stations  at  Bethany,  l'ella,  Steinkopf, 
and  Reed  Fountain  ;  and  the  Wesley  an  Society,  at  Lily 
Fountain  in  Little  Namaqua  land  :  but  the  frequent  dis- 
tress sustained  by  the  Namaquas  from  want  of  pasturage, 
and  the  interruption  to  the  labours  of  the  missionaries 
resulting  from  the  consequent  necessity  of  moving  from 
one  place  to  another  in  search  of  it,  are  powerful  reasons 
against  increasing  the  number  of  missions  among  these 
people.  It  would,  however,  be  important  if  their  various 
tribes  could  be  induced  to  settle  in  some  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  to  direct  their  attention  to  agriculture.  With  a 
view  to  facilitate  such  a  change  in  the  state  of  that  peo- 
ple, a  professional  gentleman  of  South  Africa  purposes 
surveying  a  portion  of  the  Orange  River  in  order  to  find 
out,  if  possible,  a  spot  where  the  irrigation  of  the  adja- 
cent lands  would  be  practicable  with  a  moderate  expendi- 
ture of  labour.  Should  this  project  succeed,  the  labours 
of  the  missionaries  among  the  Namaquas  will  be  eventu- 
ally prosecuted  under  circumstances  far  more  favourable 
to  the  systematic  application  of  means  for  their  religious 
and  social  improvement. 

It  would  appear  that  some  of  the  advantages  here  con- 
templated have  been  enjoyed  by  the  VVesleyan  missiona- 
ries, who  report  that  at  the  Khamiesberg  a  considerable 
part  of  the  tribe  of  Little  Namaquas  have  been  reduced 
from  migratory  habits  to  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  and 
the  practice  of  useful  arts,  and  that  they  have  wholh 
renounced  idolatry  and  their  native  superstitions.  Build- 
ings, fields,  and  gardens,  have  here  taken  the  place  of  the 


io2  survey  or  Christianity. 

former  Hottentot  kraal.  Another  great  benefit  which 
these  people  have  derived  from  the  settlement  of  the  mis- 
sionaries among  them  is  the  exemption  from  those  hostili- 
ties, from  which  none  of  the  tribes  of  Africa  hitherto  dis- 
covered in  a  purely  heathen  state  are  free.  Before  Chris- 
tianity was  introduced  among  the  Namaquas,  their  neigh- 
bours, the  Bosjesmans,  were  frequently  making  attacks 
on  them  and  stealing  their  cattle,  in  consequence  of  which 
much  blood  was  shed  :  but,  since  they  have  been  collected 
upon  one  spot  and  have  had  a  missionary  residing  among 
them,  they  have  had  nothing  to  fear  either  from  enemies 
without,  or  from  any  who  might  be  disaffected  within  :  for 
the  Bosjesmans  dare  not  now  venture  to  attack  the  Nama- 
quas, and  the  latter  will  not  attack  the  Bosjesmans,  having 
learned  from  the  Gospel  to  regard  them  as  the  offspring  ol 
the  same  common  parent. 

The  better  we  become  acquainted  with  the  CafTres, 
through  the  courage  and  perseverance  of  the  missionaries, 
the  more  we  are  compelled  to  recant  those  prejudices 
which  we  entertained  regarding  those  tribes.  They  are 
more  susceptible  of  improvement  in  domestic  and  social 
matters,  farther  advanced  in  the  diffusion  of  the  conve- 
niences of  life,  and  more  humane  in  their  nature,  than  we 
had  imagined. — But  they  too  learn  to  know  us  Europeans 
by  means  of  the  missions  in  a  more  favourable  point  of 
view,  and  discover,  that  we  are  not  merely  bloodthirsty, 
rapacious  barbarians,  who  come  across  the  sea  to  make 
slaves,  and  to  seek  gold,  bringing  in  exchange  stupefying 
liquors  and  murderous  weapons  ;  or  to  wrest  their  liberty 
from  independent  nations,  their  land  from  its  ancient  in- 
habitants, and  to  sow  discord  between  valiant  tribes  that  we 
may  exterminate  them  with  the  greater  ease.  The  pious 
missionaries  of  our  days  traverse  Africa  accompanied  by 
the  Bible  and  the  plough. 

If  Dutch  boors  in  the  environs  of  Cape  Town  have 
heretofore  hunted  down  Bosjesmans  like  wild  beasts  and 
shot  them  without  ceremony,  is  it  matter  of  surprise  that 
the  CafTre  tribes  should  transmit  their  abhorrence  of 
Christians  from  generation  to  generation  ? — Thanks  to 
the  efforts  of  later  missionaries,  they  prove  more  and 
more  successful  in  healing  misunderstandings,  in  recon* 


CAPE    OF    GOOD    IIOl'E.  153 

oiling  long  exasperated  nations,  and  in  rendering  even 
European  traders  more  Christian-like.  Things  which 
formerly  could  not  be  done  at  all  are  now  done  openly. 
There  are  even  free  schools  at  Cape  Town  for  slaves, 
which  are  attended  by  brown  and  black  pupils  between 
the  ages  of  six  years  and  thirty.  Though  these  institu- 
tions are  not  founded  by  the  public  authorities,  but  by  phi- 
lanthropic individuals,  still  those  authorities  are  entitled  to 
praise  when  they  do  not  throw  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
improvement. 

The  colonial  government  of  the  Cape  has  not,  however, 
been  content  of  late  with  earning  this  barren  praise. 
Not  only  has  it  afforded  encouragement  to  the  introduc- 
tion of  Christianity  among  the  bordering  tribes,  but  it  has 
issued  an  ordinance  for  facilitating  commerce  with  the 
Caffres  and  other  nations  situated  beyond  the  boundaries 
of  the  colony.  Some  of  its  regulations  have  a  strong 
moral  tendency.  Thus  it  is  ordained  that  no  one  shall 
pass  the  limits  of  the  colony  for  the  purpose  of  trading 
without  a  license — that  licenses  shall  be  granted  to 
persons  of  good  character  only — that  no  one  shall  be  au- 
thorized to  carry  beyond  the  boundaries  fire-arms,  offen- 
sive weapons,  or  ammunition,  beyond  what  may  be 
deemed  necessary  for  personal  defence — that  any  person 
convicted  of  maltreating  or  defrauding  a  Caffre  or  any 
other  foreigner  shall  be  subject  to  fine  or  imprisonment — 
that  any  goods,  merchandise,  or  cattle,  which  may  be 
legally  sold  within  the  colony  may  also  be  offered  for  sale 
or  barter  to  the  tribes  beyond  it,  except  fire-arms,  offensive 
weapons,  ammunition,  and  spirituous  liquors,  such  things 
being  declared  to  be  contraband,  and  persons  seized  with 
them  are  to  be  dealt  with  according  to  law.  By  the  en- 
forcement of  such  Christian  regulations  the  British  go- 
vernment cannot  fail  to  acquire  a  most  beneficial  and 
increasing  influence  among  the  pagan  nations  bordering 
upon  its  territories. 

The  Commissioners  of  inquiry,  who  have  lately  been 
engaged  in  the  investigation  of  the  state  of  this  colony, 
have  suggested  its  division  into  two  provinces,  a  measure 
which  has  received  his  majesty's  approbation.  The 
Western  Province  will  comprise  the  districts  of  the  Cape. 


154  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

Stellenbosch,  Zwellendam,  Worcester,  and  Clanwilliam  : 
the  Eastern  will  consist  of  the  districts  of  Graaf  Reinet. 
Beaufort,  Somerset,  Albany,  Uitenhage,  and  George. 
The  superficial  extent  of  the  two  provinces  is  nearly  equal. 
The  population  of  the  former  amounts  to  forty-five 
thousand  free  persons  and  twenty-nine  thousand  slaves  : 
its  produce  consists  chiefly  of  corn  and  wine.  Cape 
Town,  notwithstanding  its  admitted  disadvantages  in 
some  respects,  will  continue  to  be  its  seat  of  government. 
The  population  of  the  Eastern  Province  is  estimated  at 
about  forty  thousand  free  persons  and  six  thousand  five 
hundred  slaves  :  it  chiefly  affords  pasturage  for  cattle  ; 
and  its  capital  will  be  either  Uitenhage  or  Grahamtown. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    WEST    COAST    OF    AFRICA — CONGO LOANGO. 

Beyond  the  Great  Orange  River,  northward  of  its 
mouths,  extends  a  region  nearly  fifteen  hundred  miles  in 
length  along  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  in  no  part  of  which 
European  settlements  are  to  be  found  :  nay,  by  far  the 
greater  part  of  this  region  is  still  an  unknown  country. 
The  seaman  calls  an  immense  tract  of  it  by  no  other 
name  than  "  The  Desert  Coast,"  and  where  there  are  in* 
habitants,  as  near  Cape  Negro,  they  are  described  as 
cannibals.    Such  are  the  Zimbebes  and  Jaggas. 

It  is  not  till  we  reach  the  coast  of  Benguela,  Angola, 
and  Congo,  that  we  again  meet  with  European  towns  and 
forts.  In  these  hot  and  fertile  countries,  the  Portuguese 
have  ancient  and  extensive  possessions.  Their  towns  of 
San  Salvador  and  Pemba  in  Congo,  Loanda  de  San  Pablo 
in  Angola,  and  San  Felibe  in  Benguela,  each  containing 
from  ten  to  twenty  thousand  inhabitants,  are  annually 
visited  by  caravans,  bringing  gold-dust  and  ivory  from  the 
unknown  interior  of  Africa.     This  is  Portugal's  African 


CONGO — LOATJGO.  155 

Brasil,  divided  into  dutchies,  counties,  and  marquiaates. 
which  are  ruled  by  royal  governors  and  viceroys. 

The  clergy  of  the  episcopal  diocesses  here  have  caused 
Christianity  to  be  preached  to  the  Negroes  ever  since  the 
fifteenth  century.  But,  with  the  exception  of  prisoners 
and  slaves,  or  tribes  dependent  on  the  forts  of  Portugal,  the 
Christian  faith  has  not  won  any  free  nation  :  for,  when  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country  considered  the  way  of  life  and 
the  cruelty  of  the  white  strangers,  who  dispossessed  them  of 
their  lands  and  carried  away  their  captive  brethren  beyond 
seas,  they  were  filled  with  horror  of  the  God  of  such  people, 
and  with  the  bitterest  hatred  against  all  who  embraced  the 
worship  of  that  God.  It  is  known  that  the  Jagga  Negroes 
have  peculiarly  sanguinary  associations  (Quixiles)  for 
preventing  the  propagation  of  the  faith  of  the  Whites  ;  and 
they  carry  on  a  war  of  extermination. 

In  those  parts,  however,  of  Congo,  Loango,  and  other 
countries,  which  are  more  or  less  subject  to  the  Portu- 
guese, the  Gospel  has  already  made  great  progress 
through  the  courage  of  individual  missionaries.  It  is 
computed  that  the  number  of  converted  Negroes  far 
exceeds  one  hundred  thousand.  Several  native  princes 
even  are  Catholics.  This  change  is  chiefly  owing  to  the 
zeal  and  exertions  of  the  Capuchins. 

According  to  the  reports  of  Father  Antonio  Zuchelli, 
who  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  traversed 
Congo  as  a  preacher,  and  even  converted  the  sovereign  of 
Sogno,  a  kingdom  then  dependent  on  Loango,  the  Chris- 
tianity of  the  Negroes  in  his  time  was  not  of  the  purest  kind. 
Together  with  the  outward  forms  of  the  Romish  worship, 
they  adhered  to  their  ancient  pagan  customs,  their  hideous 
lamentations  around  the  dying  and  the  dead,  their  adora- 
tion of  the  black  goat,  which  Zuchelli  of  course  regarded 
a3  the  representative  of  the  devil,  and  other  usages.  The 
zealous  Capuchin,  unable  to  devise  more  effectual  means 
of  enforcing  his  exhortations,  would  frequently  seize  a 
cudgel  to  beat  better  convictions  into  the  graceless 
Negroes. 

French  ecclesiastics  also  founded  missions  in  1 766  in 
the  countries  of  Cacongo  and  Loango.  In  their  reports 
they  spoke  in  high  terms  of  the  joyful  welcome  which,  af 


156  SURVEY   OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

servants  of  God,  they  received  from  the  congregations  ot 
Christian  Negroes.  The  missions  in  Cacongo,  Congo, 
and  Benguela,  are  still  kept  up,  though  with  a  good  deal 
of  interruption,  and  feebly  supported:  for  the  tropical 
climate,  with  its  long  continued  rains,  followed  by  the 
rapidly  drying  harmattan,  and  with  its  intense  heat,  which 
is  suddenly  moderated  by  the  tempestuous  winds  of  tor- 
nadoes, gives  a  fatal  shock  to  the  constitutions  of  Euro* 
peans  on  their  first  arrival  in  the  country. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

GUINEA — SIERRA  LEONE — CHRISTIANITY  OF    GAMBIA. 

If  the  Christian  faith  makes  but  slow  progress  in  those 
countries  which  are  called  Lower  Guinea,  it  is  not  owing 
entirely  to  the  perverseness  of  the  Africans  or  the  evils  of 
the  climate,  but  still  more  to  the  careless  indifference  of  the 
Portuguese.  Upper  Guinea,  from  Cape  Negro  to  the 
Sierra  Leone  mountains,  is  equally  visited  by  tornadoes 
and  harmattans',  scorching  heat  and  deluges  of  rain  ;  but 
the  Europeans  settled  here,  English,  Dutch,  Danes,  and 
French,  are  of  a  more  active  turn,  better  versed  in  the  arts 
and  sciences,  more  skilful  in  the  preservation  of  health, 
and  at  the  same  time  more  humane,  or  more  prudent,  in 
their  treatment  of  the  natives. 

All  the  settlements  hitherto  formed  in  Upper  Guinea 
appear,  indeed,  to  the  eye  but  as  very  widely  scattered 
points  in  a  tract  of  country  two  thousand  five  hundred 
miles  in  length.  Here  dwell  yet  unnumbered  tribes  of 
Negroes,  especially  toward  the  interior  of  this  great 
continent. 

In  Upper  as  well  as  in  Lower  Guinea  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  are  heathen.  They  adore,  it  is  true,  or  at  least 
have  a  notion  of  an  invisible  God,  but  pray  with  stupid 
superstition  to  works  of  Nature  or  images  made  with  their 
own  hands,  because  the  antiquity  of  the  practice  or  the 
priests  have  instilled  into  them  a  profound  reverence  foi' 


GUINEA.  1 57 

ibis  fetish  worship.  They  have  in  general  but  one  and 
the  same  name  for  heaven  and  the  Supreme  Being,  and 
almost  every  nation  has  its  peculiar  hierarchy  of  gods  or 
fetishes.  The  latter  are  honoured  for  their  supposed 
magical,  healing,  or  protecting  properties,  without  being 
regarded  as  actual  deities,  especially  if  they  have  been 
made  by  human  hands.  Many  believe  the  immortality  of 
the  soul.  The  Mandingo  Negroes  pray  for  deceased 
friends.  The  Onninas,  in  the  midst  of  the  battle,  sing 
hymns  to  God.  The  Temboos  pray  in  the  morning  : 
1(>  God  help  us  !  we  know  not  whether  we  shall  be  alive 
to-morrow;  we  are  in  thy  hand!'1  Oldendorp,  the  mis- 
sionary, heard  a  VVatje  Negress  in  the  Caribbee  islands 
pronounce  this  prayer:  "O  God,  I  know  thee  not,  but 
thou  knowest  me  !     I  have  need  of  thy  help." 

Almost  all  the  \egro  nations  of  Africa  have  priests  and 
priestesses,  who  {  r  -sent  the  prayers  and  offerings  of  the 
people  to  the  gods  and  return  answers  in  their  name. 
Owing  to  the  ignorance  of  the  laity,  the  priesthood  is  of 
course  a  thriving  profession.  It  is  the  priests  who  intimate 
to  princes  as  well  as  to  subjects  what  kind  of  offerings, 
whether  cows,  sheep,  silks,  young  females,  or  spirituous 
liquors,  will  be  the  most  acceptable  gifts  to  the  wolf,  the 
-acred  serpent,  or  the  black  he-goat.  The  people  are 
misused  by  the  kings  as  well  as  by  the  priests.  The  Negro 
kings,  mostly  despotic  sovereigns,  are  cruel  that  they 
rmy  appear  powerful  :  their  harems  are  not  rarely  filled 
with  thousands  of  women,  who  in  some  places  form  an 
armed  body-guard  for  their  masters  ;  and  their  entertain- 
ments are  often  marked  by  the  massacre  of  prisoners  of 
war,  or  of  their  own  subjects.  On  occasion  of  the  death 
of  the  king  of  Akim,  three  hundred  and  thirty-six  of  the 
women  of  his  harem  had  their  arms,  legs,  and  ribs, 
broken,  and  were  then  buried  alive.  Dy  way  of  display- 
ing the  horrible  magnificence  of  princes,  it  is  sometimes 
the  practice  to  conduct  ambassadors  who  are  presented  to 
them  through  whole  files  of  men's  and  horses'  heads 
which  have  been  recently  cut  off. 

Many  Europeans  beheld  it  is  true  with  horror  this  fero- 
cious disposition  of  the  nations  of  Africa,  but  they  took 
'ittle  pains  to  correct  it.  They  rather  sought  to  turn  the 
14 


158  SURVEY  OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

military  barbarity  of  the  Negro  chiefs  to  profitable  account 
The  slave-traders,  it  is  well  known,  surpassed  the  .Negro 
princes  in  obdurate  inhumanity.  How  many  millions  of 
wretched  blacks  have  been  in  the  course  of  centuries 
carried  across  the  sea  from  Guinea  by  Europeans !  fre- 
quently more  than  a  hundred  thousand  in  one  year, 
scarcely  half  of  whom  ever  saw  the  shores  of  the  New 
World,  numbers  of  them  perishing  during  the  voyage  of 
grief,  of  cruel  treatment,  or  in  mutinies,  or  wilfully  putting 
an  end  to  their  lives  in  a  variety  of  ways.  When  once,  so 
Oldendorp  relates,  many  Negroes  on  board  a  ship  had 
resolved  to  starve  themselves  to  death,  the  captain  could 
not  devise  any  expedient  to  deter  them  from  their  des- 
perate purpose,  but  to  cut  one  of  them  in  little  pieces, 
and  threaten  the  rest  of  them  with  a  similar  fate  unless 
they  took  their  food  as  usual.  This  treatment  seemed 
to  them  much  worse  than  any  thing  they  had  yet  antici- 
pated from  futurity,  and  they  submitted  to  their  melan- 
choly lot. 

The  execrable  traffic  of  Christian  nations  continued 
till  the  commencement  of  the  nineteenth  century.  So 
long  as  the  shores  of  Guinea  rise  above  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  will  future  ages  recount  the  atrocities  of  Euro- 
peans, but  remember  also  with  emotion  the  philanthropic 
Wilberforces,  Sharps,  Thorntons,  Clarksons,  and  others, 
who  first  lent  a  hand  to  terminate  these  horrors.  It  is 
remarkable  that  no  Christian  sovereign,  no  minister,  no 
statesman,  first  conceived  and  set  about  the  execution  of 
the  simply  grand  and  humane  idea.  No,  they  were  plain, 
honest,  pious  people,  Quakers  of  Pennsylvania,  who  first 
abolished  the  slavery  of  the  Negroes,  and  whose  example 
was  immediately  followed  (in  1801)  by  the  whole  republic 
of  the  United  States  of  America  and  Denmark.  But,  so 
lately  as  1813,  a  European  sovereign — the  king  of  Por- 
tugal— could  formally  authorize  the  traffic  in  his  black 
fellow-creatures!  The  British  were  generous  enough  to 
bring  back  his  Most  Faithful  Majesty  by  force  to  the 
duties  of  humanity,  by  taking  such  of  his  ships  as  were 
found  engaged  in  the  slave-trade,  and  setting  at  liberty 
the  blacks  on  board  them. 

The  work  begun  by  humanity  the  heroism  of  Christian 


SIERRA   LEONE.  159 

virtue  completed  on  those  coasts,  which  were  so  long  the 
theatre  of  ineffable  cruelties. 

In  1771    Granville  Sharp,  a  wealthy  and  benevolent 
man,  having  espoused  the  cause  of  a  Negro  boy,  whom 
the  captain  of  a  slave-ship  claimed  as  his  property,  and 
would  have  carried  out  of  the  country  against  his  will, 
brought  the  question  before  the   Court  of  King's  Bench, 
and  the  rerdiet  of  the  jury  on  this  occasion  decided  that 
"  the  slave  who  sets  foot  on  the  soil  of  England  shall  be 
free  as  any  native  of  the  country."     At  the  conclusion  of 
the  American   war  there   were  actually  several  hundred 
Negroes  living  in  London,  free  but  unprovided  for,  and 
reduced  to  the  lowest  state  of  indigence.     On  this  occa- 
sion, the  same  Granville   Sharp  conceived  the   idea  of 
founding,  in  association   with    other  philanthropic  indi- 
viduate,  a    British  Negro  colony  on  the   west   coast  of 
Africa,      in  the  year  1787a  convenient  site  at  Cape  Sierra 
Leone  was  pu  chased  of  the  Negro  princes  there  ;  it  was 
speedily  enlarged  by  fresh  purchases  in  the  neighbour- 
hood ;  and  a  now  town,  called  Freetown,  was  built  in  the 
harbour  of  George  Bay  and  peopled  with  free  Negroes. 
The  Sierra  Leone  Company,  formed  in  London,  soon 
obtained  tic  public  confidence,  immunities  from  the  go- 
vernment, and  considerable  contributions  from  new  mem 
bers.     The  colony  in  Africa  rapidly  increased  every  year, 
especially   after  the   abolition  of  the  slave-trade.     Fort 
Thornton  was   built;  in  1809  a  new  town,  called  King- 
ston, was  began,  and  rit  the  same  time  a  new  retreat  for 
NeL/.»es  was  founded  at  the  foot  of  Leicester  mountain, 
aftjr  which  it  was  named,  and  chiefly  peopled  with  mem- 
bers of  the  Aiuhera  tribe,  who  were  induced  by  the  grant 
of  various  privileges  to  settle  there.     Village  after  village 
was  raise.*  by  the  Negroes  liberated  from  the   slave-ships 
who  wese  brought  thither. 

The  chief  object  of  this  settlement  was  not  commercial 
gain  so  much  as  the  civilization  of  the  natives.  To  this 
end  a  distint  I  Society  was  formed  in  London  in  1807,  for 
the  purpose  of  diffusing  useful  knowledge  in  Africa.  Its 
efforts  were  aided  by  the  excellent  Missionary  Societies  of 
England.  In  ah  the  towns  of  the  new  colony  schools  were 
founded  for  adults  as  well  as  children  ;  churches  erected  ; 


ido 


SUJiVE7   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 


preachers  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  and  of  brotherly  love 
sent  forth  into  the  surrounding  countries  ;  the  neighbour- 
ing Negro  princes  won  by  presents,  commercial  advanta- 
ges, and.  (he  gratuitous  instruction  of  their  children  in  Eu- 
ropean arts  and  sciences  ;  Bibles  distributed  by  thousands 
ill  tiie  native  languages  ;  journeys  of  discovery  underta- 
ken ;  Negroes  of  superior  talents  trained  for  teachers  and 
even  for  missionaries — in  short  nothing  has  been  neglected 
which  could  lead  to  the  improvement  of  the  social  state 
among  the  inhabitants  of  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

In  1821  an  act  of  parliament  passed  for  abolishing  the 
African  company,  vesting  its  possessions  in  the  British 
crown,  and  annexing  these  and  all  other  territories  of  his 
majesty  between  the  20th  degree  of  north  latitude  and  the 
20th  degree  of  south  latitude,  to  iSierra  Leone,  and  making 
them  dependencies  of  that  colony.  Thus  all  the  British 
possessions  scattered  through  forty  degrees  of  latitude,  ap- 
proaching on  the  south  the  colony  of  the  Cape  and  on  the 
north  the  empire  of  Morocco,  are  placed  under  one  system 
Of  administration,  from  which  measure  great  advantages 
to  the  civilization  of  Western  Africa  may  reasonably  be 
anticipated. 

Some  Negro  tribes  dwelling  in  the  vicinity  of  the  colo- 
ny, in  order  to  obtain  security  from  the  attacks  of  enemies 
by  whom  their  people  were  either  murdered  or  sold  into 
slavery,  have  recently  placed  themselves  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  British  government  and  ceded  their  coun- 
tries to  the  crown,  on  condition  that  the  undisturbed  pos- 
session of  their  private  property  should  be  guaranteed  to 
them.  It  was  to  support  the  horrible  trade  in  slaves  that 
the  surrounding  nations  were  constantly  engaged  in  the 
sanguinary  wars  which  have  nearly  depopulated  the  once 
rich  and  fertile  countries  of  the  Sherbro,  which  form  part 
of  these  cessions,  and  from  which  it  is  computed  that  be- 
tween fifteen  and  twenty  thousand  wretched  inhabitants 
were  annually  carried  into  slavery.  The  great  slave-deal- 
ers, who  retired  from  the  country  on  the  conclusion  of  this 
convention,  resolved  to  reestablish  their  traffic  by  force  ; 
and  Sir  Charles  Turner,  who  succeeded  the  unfortunate 
?ir  Charles  M'Carthy  in  the  government  of  Sierra  Leone. 


SIERRA    LEONE.  161 

was  obliged  to  take  active  measures  for  subduing  the  in- 
surgents. 

Bj  the  return  of  1822,  Freetown,  the  capital  of  Sierra 
Leone,  contained  nearly  six  thousand  souls,  and  the  whole 
co'ony  about  seventeen  thousand  inhabitants  :  of  these 
more  than  fiftern  thousand  were  natives  of  Africa  ;  the 
rest  being  chiefly  Europeans,  Maroons,  and  Nova  Scotia 
settlers.  Of  those  born  in  Africa  upwards  of  eleven  thou- 
sand had  been  liberated  from  the  holds  of  vessels,  which 
were  carrying  them  into  interminable  bondage.  Nearly 
nine  thousand  of  the  latter  dwell  in  sixteen  settlements, 
where  schools  are  established  and  religious  instruction  is 
dispensed  by  the  agents  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 
At  the  end  of  the  year  1826  the  number  of  scholars  in 
these  places  and  in  Freetown  amounted  to  two  thousand 
and  seventy-five,  and  that  of  communicants  to  four  hun- 
dred and  forty-three.  In  the  preceding  year  the  liberated 
Africans  of  these  settlements,  exclusively  of  Freetown, 
sold  to  government  alone  surplus  produce  to  the  amount 
of  3500/. 

When  the  late  Sir  Neil  Campbell  assumed  the  govern- 
ment of  the  colony,  he  formed  the  villages  of  liberated  Afri- 
cans into  three  divisions,  which  received  names  descriptive 
of  their  locality.  The  Eastern  or  River  District  comprises 
Kissey,  Wellington,  Allen  Town,  Hastings,  Waterloo, 
and  Calmont,  which  lie  in  a  south-east  direction  from  Free- 
town, in  the  order  here  mentioned,  along  the  eastern  bor- 
der of  the  colony  on  the  Bunce  River  and  the  Timmanee 
country.  The  Central  or  Mountain  District  comprises 
Leicester,  Gloucester,  Regent,  Bathurst,  Wilberforce, 
Charlotte,  and  Grassfield.  The  Western  or  Sea  District 
comprises  York,  Kent,  and  the  Bananas  Islands.  Thi* 
division  is  well  adapted  to  its  object,  the  efficient  and  eco- 
nomical application  of  the  labours  of  superintendents  and 
teachers. 

About  the  year  1820,  the  late  Sir  George  Collier,  then 
commander  of  the  British  naval  force  on  this  station,  in 
two  reports  on  the  African  settlements,  bore  honourable 
testimony  to  the  great  improvement  of  the  colony  : — 
'Roads,"  says  he,  "  are  cut  in  every  direction,  useful  for 
ommunication  ;  many  towns  and  villages  arc  built  and 
14* 


162  suevev  or  chkistiasity* 

others  are  building,  as  the  black  population  increases 
More  improvement,  under  all  circumstances  of  climate 
and  infancy  of  colony,  is  scarcely  to  be  expected.  I  visit- 
ed all  the  Black  towns  and  villages,  attended  the  public 
schools  and  other  establishments,  and  never  witnessed  in 
any  population  more  contentment  and  happiness. " 

The  then  governor,  Sir  Charles  M'Carthy,  also  stated 
as  the  result  of  his  own  observation  in  the  same  year,  that 
the  whole  of  the  country  round  Kissey,  a  place  containing 
about  thirteen  hundred  inhabitants,  was  in  a  state  of  very 
<*ood  cultivation ;  displaying  in  every  direction  extensive 
helds  of  rice,  cassada,  and  ground-nuts ;  that  the  parish  was 
not  only  likely  to  furnish  that  year  sufficient  for  its  own 
wants,  but  to  supply  its  neighbours  with  every  kind  of 
produce  then  cultivated  in  the  peninsula.  Almost  all  the 
grain  and  vegetables  brought  to  the  market  at  Freetown 
are  grown  in  this  parish.  The  mountains  close  to  the 
town  afford  the  finest  timber.  Many  of  the  inhabitants 
are  employed  in  burning  shells  to  make  lime ;  and,  from 
the  abundance  of  the  shells  and  the  facility  of  conveying 
them  by  water  to  Kissey,  this  place  will  probably  becorrtc 
the  chief  mart  for  the  supply  of  lime  to  every  part  of  the 
colony. 

To  show  the  scale  upon  which  some  of  the  public  works 
here  are  executed,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  mention  that, 
according  to  the  Report  of  the  Church  Missionary  SocieU 
for  1827,  a  road  was  then  making  from  the  settlement  of 
Waterloo  to  Maharra,  in  the  Timmanee  country,  about 
one  hundred  miles  distant,  which  was  expected  to  promote 
greatly  the  communications  with  the  natives. 

The  Americans  are  joining  their  exertions  to  those  of 
the  British  for  the  suppression  of  that  bane  of  African  ci- 
vilization, the  slave-trade,  by  the  establishment  of  a  colony 
o/  Free  Blacks  from  America  and  liberated  Africans.  For 
this  purpose  land  was  purchased  at  Cape  Mesurado,  and 
thither  the  settlers  removed  in  1822,  after  a  temporary  re- 
sidence at  Sierra  Leone.  They  had  not  been  long  there 
however,  before  they  were  attacked  by  the  natives,  whom 
they  repulsed  with  great  loss,  but  not  without  suffering  s<> 
severely  themselves  as  to  be  obliged  to  abandon  the  settle 
merit.     Not  dauhfedby  this  disaster,  the  Colonization  Sto 


srEBiiA  LEOSE.  J63 

eiely,  under  whose  auspices  this  enterprise  was  undertaken, 
sent  out  a  second  body  of  colonists.  The  territory  pur- 
chased for  this  settlement  has  received  the  name  of  Libe- 
ria, and  the  district  which  comes  more  immediately  within 
its  influence  extends  about  three  hundred  miles  from  the 
river  Gallenas  to  the  country  of  the  Kromen.  Its  capital, 
named  Monrovia,  after  the  late  President  of  the  United 
States,  already  containing  a  population  of  one  thousand 
souls,  is  situated  about  half  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Mesurado,  and  defended  by  a  strong  fort.  Four  fac- 
tories, or  trading-  establishments,  have  been  formed  on  the 
coast ;  between  these  and  Monrovia  a  small  schooner  is 
kept  constantly  running,  and  this  is  one  of  the  sources  to 
which  the  new  colony  is  indented  for  its  abundant  means 
of  subsistence  and  remarkable  prosperity  The  town  is 
now  perfectly  secure  from  the  natives,  and  its  inhabitants 
not  only  enjoy  in  profusion  the  comforts  of  life  but  many 
of  them  have  acquired  considerable  property 

If  greater  success  has  not  attended  the  efforts  of  the 
Christian  labourers  in  this  quarter,  it  is  partly  owing  to  the 
extreme  insalubrity  of  the  climate  to  European  constitu- 
tions and  the  rapid  mortality  of  the  missionaries  engaged 
in  the  good  work.  Hence  it  is  obvious,  that  a  main  object 
with  the  philanthropic  Societies,  whose  efforts  are  directed 
to  the  extension  of  the  benevolent  doctrines  of  Cnristianity, 
should  be  to  provide  native  labourers  to  whom  at  least  part 
of  the  task  might  be  devolved.  A  few  able  Europeans 
may,  therefore,  by  devoting  themselves  to  the  superinten- 
dence of  seminaries  or  colleges  of  native  youths  in  their 
own  countries,  both  save  a  great  expenditure  of  the  lives 
of  European  teachers  and  contribute  to  the  more  rapid 
advance  of  Christianity  among  the  heathen. 

The  following  pertinent  remarks  on  this  important  sub- 
ject occur  in  a  recent  R.eport  of  one  of  the  County  Asso- 
ciations of  the  Church  Missionary  Society: — • 

"  To  raise  Sierra  Leone  to  its  full  efficiency  as  a  pharos 
of  light  to  Western  Africa,  three  requisites  are  indispensa- 
bly necessary — 1st,  The  promotion  of  general  education 
to  such  an  extent  that  the  English  language  shall  be 
spoken  in  its  native  purity  throughout  the  colony,  and  be 
fclren-ce  transmitted  to  the  neighbouring  states—  Sudly,  Tin 


164  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

establishment  of  two  schools  for  the  special  purpose*  of 
qualifying  pious  natives  to  become  schoolmasters  and 
schoolmistresses,  by  affording  them  a  superior  and  appro- 
priate education — and  3dly,  The  erection  of  an  efficient 
Christian  Institution,  wherein  native  Africans  of  superior 
intelligence  and  decided  piety  might  be  trained  for  the 
ministerial  office.  The  re-captured  Negroes  located  in 
Sierra  Leone  speak  every  dialect  of  Western  Africa,  and 
will  be  the  fittest  instruments,  when  properly  educated,  to 
translate  elementary  works  and  even  the  Scriptures  them- 
selves into  their  own  tongues  :  and,  when  grounded  in  the 
Arabic  language  and  able  to  understand  tho»Kjoran  in  the 
original,  they  will  be  prepared  to  meet  the  Moslem  teach- 
ers on  their  own  ground,  to  oppose  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to 
the  law  of  Muhamed,  where  alone  that  law  is  gaining  an 
increasing  ascendancy  over  the  human  mind,  and  thus  to 
bring  Christianity  into  a  fair  and  efficient  competition  with 
the  dominant  and  only  proselyting  religion  of  Northern 
and  Western  Africa. 

u  With  feelings  of  peculiar  satisfaction,  your  Committee 
have  perceived  in  the  recent  discoveries  made  by  Major 
Denham  and  Captain  Clapperton  what  may  possibly  re- 
move the  grand  difficulty,  which  has  hitherto  retarded  the 
education  of  converts  for  missionary  purposes  from  among 
the  re-captured  Negroes  of  Sierra  Leone.  That  difficulty 
has  been  the  insalubrity  of  the  climate  of  Western  Africa, 
and  the  consequent  want  of  a  healthy  spot  for  a  Christian 
Institution.  In  the  Bight  of  Benin,  where  the  Niger  emp- 
ties itself  by  means  of  a  Delta  into  the  Atlantic,  is  situated 
the  island  Fernando  Po  ;  where,  to  use  the  language  of  a 
modern  author,  '  health  and  safety  dwell ;  and  where, 
commanding  the  outlets  of  the  Niger,  Great  Britain  would 
command  the  trade,  the  improvement,  and  the  civilization 
of  all  Northern  Central  Africa.'  A  second  salubrious 
situation  where,  as  far  as  health  is  concerned,  a  Christian 
Institution  and  schools  might  be  conducted  with  perfect 
safety  is  mentioned  by  the  same  travellers  :  this  is  a  high 
lable-land  within  the  tropic,  chiefly  in  the  parallel  of  12° 
ir  13°  north.  Your  Committee  hail  this  most  important 
discovery  as  an  opening  of  Providence  for  facilitating  mis- 
sionarv  exertions  in  Western  Africa  ;  and  thev  trust  thai 


SIEREA   LE0KE.  165 

the  Society  will  be  enabled  by  the  increasing  liberality  and 
personal  services  of  Ls  friends  to  avail  itself  of  this  oppor- 
tunity of  usefulness  to  the  benighted  children  of  Ham." 

The  Committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  enter- 
ing entirely  into  these  views  of  their  intelligent  associates, 
are  taking  measures  for  placing  the  Christian  Institution  of 
Sierra  Leone  on  an  efficient  footing.  This  design  has 
bee;,  the  subject  of  much  correspondence  and  d<  liberation, 
as  the  Society  nave  come  to  the  fixed  determination  of 
prosecuting,  by  ah  means  in  their  power,  and  in  any  place, 
whether  in  Europe,  or  in  Africa,  which  nay  ultimately 
prove  most  dhglble,  the  education  of  intelligent  and  pious 
natives,  with  the  viewoftheii  becoming.  Christian  teachers 
among  their  countrymen. 

Meanwhile  the  British  Government  has  authorized  the 
formation  of  a  settlement  in  the  isktnd  of  Fernando  Po, 
and  an  experiment  is  about  to  be  made  under  the  duec- 
tion  of  Lieutenant  colonel  Denham  or.  a  portion  of  the 
liberated  Africans,  to  communicate,  to  them  a  practical 
knowledge  of  agriculture.  It  appears  also  that,  during 
the  brief  government  of  the  late  Sir  Neil  Campbell,  a 
new  plan  was  formed  for  the  education  of  the  iiberated 
African  children,  whom  he  proposed  to  concentrate  into 
three  large  schools,  one  for  each  of  the  three  districts,  into 
which  he  had  divided  the  villages  ;  but  his  death,  which 
took  place  shortly  afterwards,  will  probably  lea..;  to  new 
arrangements. 

Thus  has  Sierra  Leone  become  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant points  in  these  regions  for -the  population  of  Africa. 
There,  on  a  lately  desert  traci,  are  now,  as  we  have  seen, 
upwards  of  seventeen  thousand  Negroes — mostly  rescued 
from  the  clutches  of  ruthless  slave- smugglers,  instructed 
in  the  Christian  religion  and  rhe  arts  of  civilized  life. 

A  striking  proof  of  the  moral  influence  which  the  colony 
has  acquired  over  the  neighbouring  tribes,  even  where 
their  strongest  and  most  inveterate  prejudices  are  con- 
cerned, was  exhibited  at  the  decease  of  King  George  of 
Bullom,  who  died  in  May  182d.  at  the  advanced  age,  it 
is  said,  of  1 10  years  The  Bulioms  had  not  till  this  time 
suffered  their  Kings  to  die  a  natural  death,  but  always 
despatched  them  when  they  considered  them  about  to 


166  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

expire,  sacrificing  two  human  victims,  whom  they  buried 
in  the  same  grave.  In  the  present  instance,  the  fear  of 
involving  themselves  in  trouble,  or  "  getting  a  palaver," 
as  they  term  it,  with  Sierra  Leone,  led  them  to  dispense 
with  the  cruel  practice. 

From  this  spot  too  the  knowledge  of  useful  trades,  the 
improved  modes  of  cultivating  rice  and  cotton,  and  the 
processes  of  ,;griculture  and  gardening,  are  spread  far 
around  among  the  Negro  tribes,  and  with  them  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Christian  re-igion,  from  Cape  iegio  to  the 
gum-forests  on  the  Senegal.  Philip  Quaque,  a  black  mis- 
sionary, preached  the  Gospel  to  the  tribes  on  the  Gold 
Coast,  in  ihe  Amina  language.  It  v»ar  proclaimed,  as 
in  the  settlements  of  Sierra  Leone,  at  Yongn  Pomoh  on 
the  coast  of  JBuiam,  likewise  at  Bashia  and  at  CanofTe,  on 
the  shores  of  the  Rio  Pongas,  at  Gambier,  >v,  the  river 
Dembia,  on  the  island  of  Goree,  in  the  Senegal,  at  the 
mouths  of  thi  Senegal,  and  in  many  pthei  places.  Bri- 
tish liberality  cheerfully  furnibhes  abundant  contributions 
in  support  of  the  great  work  of  the  civilizatior  of  Africa; 
and  the  successive  governors,  Sir  Charles  M  Oarthy  in 
particular,  have  distinguished  themselves  by  •«  teal  enthu- 
siasm in  behalf  of  the  sacred  cause. 

Compared  wi'h  such  enterprises,  indeed,  all  the  earlier 
missionary  attempts  made  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa  by 
the  French  and  Portuguese  must  b  regard*  as  insignifi- 
cant, (n  these  no  attention  *vas  paid  to  the  melioration  of 
the  social  state  of  the  Negro  tribes,  by  the  introduction  of 
schools  &r,t't  useful  arts  and  by  the  improvement  of  agricul- 
ture. The  'Uorts  oi  individuals  were  not  seconded  by  their 
respective  governments,  and  the  good  they  effected  in  many 
instances  expired  vita  them  or  soon  after  their  decease; 

Thus;  for  iXHinpie,  Christianity  was  planted  some  cen- 
turies I  ick  in  the  Negro  kingdom  of  Barra,  on  the  river 
Gambia.  If  was  carried  thither  hy  French  ecclesiastics 
from  the  FrencJ  feci  ry  of  Albreda,  in  the  adjacent 
country.  cJo  early  as  the  commencement  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  several  Christian  congregations  /ere 
formed  ;  bul  -or  war,-  of  missionaries  they  were  dissolved 
or  degenerated.  When  he  Abbe  Oemanet  arrived  there 
in  the  year  1764,  he  found  remnants  of  the  Christians  in 


CHRISTIANITY   ON   THE    GAMBIA.  IG'i 

seven  villages  only,  where  a  priest  had  not  been  seen  for 
twenty  years.  He  there  revived  the  love  for  Christianity, 
as  well  as  in  the  Negro  States  of  Sin,  Thin,  and  Barbesin, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  isle  of  Goree.  The  King  of 
Sin  treated  him  courteously.  "  The  Christians,"  said  he 
to  the  Abbe,  "  are  my  best  subjects.  I  worship,  indeed, 
the  same  great  God  that  thou  dost ;  but  the  mysteries  of 
thy  religion  I  cannot  comprehend.  Make  all  my  people 
Christians  if  thou  wilt.  I  shall  have  no  objection." — The 
zealous  missionary  actually  instructed  and  baptized  about  a 
thousand  Negroes  in  a  short  time  :  but  his  labours  pro- 
duced no  permanent  benefit,  for  the  work  begun  by  hiln 
was  but  feebly  prosecuted,  and  at  length  totally  forgotten 
in  the  wars  and  political  revolutions  of  France. 

I  shall  subjoin  here  a  remarkable  circumstance,  com- 
municated by  Captain  Smith,  who  was  long  resident  at 
Tripoli.  He  says,  that  among  the  Neg-o  slaves,  mostly 
of  a  vigorous,  handsome  race,  brought  from  the  interior 
of  Africa  to  Tripoli,  there  are  many  who  call  themselves 
Christians,  though  they  are  extremely  ignorant  and  stran- 
gers alike  to  circumcision  and  to  the  most  ancient  sym- 
bol of  Christianity — the  Cross.  One  evening  just  as  a 
ship  belonging  to  the  Pacha  of  Tripoli,  bringing  some  of 
these  slaves  from  Algiers,  came  to  an  anchor,  the  evening 
bell  was  rung  in  a  vessel  which  lay  at  a  little  distance, 
The  Negroes  joyfully  sprang  up,  called  to  their  compa- 
nions, embracing  one  another  with  transport  and  exclaim- 
ing :  "  Campan  !  Campan  !"  This  Latin  or  Italian  word 
led  the  interpreter  to  inquire  the  cause  of  the  general 
joy.  He  was  informed  by  the  slaves,  that  in  each  of  the 
Negro  towns  of  their  native  country  there  was  an  open 
place,  where  stood  a  building  provided  with  a  bell.  This 
bell  is  rung  morning  and  evening  for  prayers,  after  which 
the  priest  delivers  an  exhortation  to  the  assembly.  The 
people  knew  nothing  of  idols,  or  images  of  saints,  in 
their  temples,  but  they  seemed  to  have  a  sort  of  holy 
communion. — Where  is  the  country  of  these  black  Chris- 
tians situated  ? 


JS8  SURVEY   OF   dlRISTIAXHT, 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   WEST  AFRICAN  ISLANDS. 

Thus  is  this  vast  continent  more  neglected  by  Euro- 
peans than  any  other  quarter  of  the  globe.  According  to 
the  testimony  of  Mollien,  who  travelled  in  J  8  18  through 
the  interior  of  Africa  to  the  sources  of  the  Senegal  and 
Gambia,  the  doctrine  of  Muhamed  is  making  more  and 
more  progress  among  the  nations  of  the  interior,  parti- 
cularly in  the  country  of  Cayor.  The  schools  are  every- 
where kept  by  Marabouts,  and  these  teachers  of  the 
Koran  are  treated  with  as  much  respect  by  the  pagans  a? 
by  the  Muhamedans  themselves.  Circumcision  is  more- 
over very  general  in  these  parts.  Mollien  observed  at  the 
same  time  that  the  Muhamodan  Negroes  are  strict  in  the 
performance  of  the  ceremonies  of  their  religion,  and  that 
they  are  also  more  humane  and  more  civilized  than  the 
heathen.  In  the  interior  of  this  portion  of  the  globe  the 
Christian  is  either  despised  or  feared  ;  because  the  eager- 
ness after  gold  and  oilier  vices  of  Europeans  are  consi- 
dered as  being  in  a  great  measure  the  effect  of  their  reli- 
gion. 

It  is  not  improbable  that  the  naval  powers  of  Europe, 
after  the  loss  of  their  rich  possessions  in  the  West  Indie* 
and  America,  will  seek  compensation  in  Africa.  Where 
could  they  find  it  but  in  that  quarter  of  the  world,  which 
offers  in  abundance  copper,  gold,  ivory,  precious  stones, 
inim,  spices,  and  numberless  other  commodities,  which 
western  luxury  requires  ? — in  that  where  the  most  valua- 
ble of  the  vegetable  productions  of  Asia  and  America  may 
he  naturalized  without  trouble  in  suitable  climates  ?  Whi- 
ther could  European  sovereigns  direct  to  greater  advan- 
tage the  current  of  emigration,  which  sets  at  present 
across  the  Atlantic,  to  add  to  the  growing  strength  and 
wealth  of  America  by  agriculture  and  manufactures  ? 


WEST    AFKICAN    ISLANDS.  16i* 

England  has  demonstrated  since  the  commencement 
of  the  present  century  that  it  is  easier  to  gain  the  good 
will  of  the  Negro  states  by  civilizing  them  than  by  force 
of  arms  ;  and  the  traffic  with  them,  instead  of  being  dimi- 
nished, has  increased  since  the  abolition  of  the  slave- 
trade. 

Next  to  the  universal  independence  of  America,  the 
civilization  of  the  Africans  by  religious  instruction  and 
the  Christian  faith  will  probably  be  the  most  beneficial 
result  to  the  human  race  of  all  the  changes  in  the  general 
relations  of  States,  which  the  present  time  is  producing 
or  preparing. 

.  The  Portuguese  have  in  all  ages  proved  themselves 
zealous  Catholics.  In  their  West  African  Islands  they, 
like  the  Spaniards,  made  a  particular  point  of  extermina- 
ting, with  the  aid  of  the  Inquisition,  all  heathen,  Jews. 
Muhamedans,  and  Protestant  Christians.  There  is  rather 
a  superfluity  than  a  want  of  churches,  convents,  and  cha- 
pels. It  is  nevertheless  well  known,  from  the  accounts 
of  all  modern  travellers,  how  ignorant  most  of  their  clergy 
are.  In  many  islands  the  friars  and  secular  clergy  are 
partly  Negroes,  partly  Mulattoes,  who  receive  but  very 
scanty  instruction.  Hence  it  is  not  surprising  that  the 
trade  of  the  greater  part  of  the  West  African  islands  be- 
longing to  Spain  and  Portugal  is  in  the  hands  of  the  Eng- 
lish ;  or  that  a  considerable  portion  of  the  produce  of  the 
Azore  islands  is  paid  for  by  Portugal  with  indulgences, 
dispensations,  relics,  images  of  saints,  and  the  like, 


IS 


PART  THE  FOURTH. 


AMERICA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTION  OF  CHRISTIANITY  IN  AMERICA — LAS  CASA    . 

Those  wars  of  conversion  which  have  been  carried  on 
by  the  disciples  of  JVJ  uharned  in  three  quarters  of  the  globe, 
since  they  were  commenced  by  the  Arabian  Prophet, 
surrounded  by  his  heroes,  the  terrible  Amru,  the  still  more 
terrible  Kaled,  called  the  sword  of  God,  Ali,  Abubeker, 
and  others,  belong  to  the  most  disgraceful  phenomena  in 
the  history  of  mankind.  Writers  express  to  this  day  a 
strong  and  just  horror  of  the  torrents  of  blood  spilt  in  the 
three  quarters  of  the  old  world  for  the  diffusion  ot  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Koran. 

Truth,  nevertheless,  compels  us  to  admit  that  the  atro- 
cities of  the  Saracens  have  not  surpassed  those  perpe- 
trated by  the  religious  fury  of  Christians.  Consider  the 
millions  sacrificed  by  the  madness  of  the  Crusades  for  the 
recovery  of  the  holy  sepulchre,  or  for  the  conversion  of 
the  north  of  Europe,  since  the  time  of  Charlemagne  ;  or 
during  the  schism  in  the  church,  in  massacres  such  as  that 
of  St.  Bartholomew  ;  and  in  the  auto-da-fesof  the  Inqui- 
sition !  Consider  the  wholesale  destruction  which  attended 
the  planting  of  the  Cross  on  the  American  coasts,  when 
these  were  scarcely  discovered  : — how  nations  were  there 
exterminated  and  the  relics  of  them  driven  into  the  unknown 
forests  and  mountains  of  the  interior — how,  in  order  to 
rcpeople  the  deserts,  their  depopulators  excited  African 


AMEU1CA.  171 

inbes  to  hostilities  against  one  another,  that  they  might 
have  opportunities  of  purchasing  their  prisoners  of  war — 
how  millions  of  Blacks  were  transported  across  the  Ocean 
to  new  regions  of  the  earth,  there  to  be  detained  for  life 
and  treated  with  greater  cruelty  than  irrational  brutes  1 

But  no,  these  abominations,  with  which  Christians  pol- 
luted America,  scarcely  originated  in  religious  fanaticism. 
That  source  would  have  been  too  noble  ;  it  was  nothing 
but  a  base  love  of  lucre,  cloaked  in  the  disguise  of  reli- 
gious zeal.  Its  impious  enormities,  nevertheless,  found 
public  defenders.  A  Doctor  Sepulveda  justified  them,  in 
a  book  printed  at  Rome,  by  divine  and  human  laws,  and 
by  the  example  of  the  conduct  of  the  people  of  God  after 
the  conquest  of  Canaan. 

This  is  not  the  proper  place  to  treat  of  the  founding  of 
the  different  European  settlements  along  the  coasts  of  the 
American  continent  and  on  the  islands,  where  Christian- 
ity at  the  same  time  obtained  permanent  abodes.  Chris- 
tianity was  long  confined  to  the  conquerors  only.  The 
independent  heathen  justly  abominated  a  religion,  which 
furnished  occasion  or  pretext. for  crimes  such  as  no  natives 
of  America  could  previously  have  conceived  possible. 
There  were  too  few  genuine  disciples  of  Christ,  who,  like 
the  philanthropic  Bartholomew  de  las  Casas,  might  have 
exhibited  their  faith  in  all  its  simplicity  and  loveliness.  It  is 
remarkable  that  this  illustrious  martyr  of  beneficence  is  not 
enrolled  among  the  saints  of  the  Romish  Church.  The 
example  of  his  virtues  and  his  generous  sentiments  have, 
however,  exalted  him  into  the  Saint  of  Humanity.  His 
treatise  on  the  question  :  "  Can  princes  with  a  good  con- 
science, by  any  right,  or  by  virtue  of  any  title,  transfer  citi- 
zens and  subjects  from  their  crowns  to  others  ?"  would 
probably  be  found  worth  reprinting  even  at  the  present  day. 

In  the  first  centuries  subsequent  to  the  discovery  of 
Atnerica,  the  Jesuits,  Franciscans,  Dominicans,  and  Ca- 
puchins, rendered  most  service  in  preaching  the  Gospel  in 
the  West  India  Islands  and  on  the  continent.  When  at 
length  the  Dutch  and  English,  following  the  example  of 
the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese,  made  conquests  in  the  New 
World,  the  work  of  converting  the  Indians  was  zealously 
commenced  by  Protestant  divines  also,     The  British  So- 


172  SURVEY   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

ciety  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  foreign  parts 
founded  by  act  of  Parliament  in  1697,  bestowed  particular 
attention  on  the  English  settlements  in  North  America. 
Its  efforts  in  the  holy  work  have  been  emulated  during  the 
eighteenth  century  by  the  United  or  Moravian  brethren. 
Filled  with  generous  enthusiasm  to  proclaim  Christ,  they 
have  penetrated  into  the  extreme  North  of  America,  into 
the  snow-covered  deserts  of  Labrador  and  Greenland,  to 
the  vicinity  of  the  yet  undiscovered  pole,  whither  neither 
the  love  of  conquest  nor  the  thirst  of  gold  has  yet  been 
able  to  allure  other  Europeans. 


CHAPTER  II. 

LOST   CHRISTIANITY   ON   THE    EAST  COAST  OF   GREENLAND 

THE     VENERABLE     HANS     EGEDE THE     BRETHREN'S 

CONGREGATIONS    IN    GREENLAND. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  Greenland  was  discovered  and 
peopled  so  early  as  the  eighth  century  by  Eric  Redhead,  r 
Norman,  exiled  from  Ireland.  In  a  Bull,  issued  by  Pope 
Gregory  the  Fourth  in  the  year  835,  the  conversion  of  the 
Icelanders  and  Greenlanders  was  especially  recommended 
to  St.  Ansgar,  the  first  apostle  of  the  North.  In  the 
fourteenth  century  both  the  east  and  west  coast  of  Green- 
land were  occupied  by  the  Normans.  On  the  nineteen 
fiords,  or  bays,  on  the  east  side,  were  one  hundred  and 
ninety  villages  and  hamlets,  divided  into  twelve  parishes 
together  with  two  convents  and  an  episcopal  see,  and  on 
the  nine  fiords  on  the  west  side  there  were  in  four  parishes 
about  a  hundred  scattered  places,  which  extended  as  high 
as  the  sixty-fifth  degree  of  latitude.  The  first  bishop  was 
Arnold,  a  learned  Norwegian  priest,  who  came  to  Green- 
land in  the  year  1123. 

Famine  and  disease,  however,  swept  away  many  of  the 
inhabitants,  and  after  the  fourteenth  century  North  Ameri- 
can savages  from  the  coasts  of  Labrador,  known  at  an 


GItEENLAXU.  173 

Earlier  period  to  theGreenlandersbythename  of  Skrallings, 
thronged  hither  in  their  stead.  These  were  Esquimaux, 
probably  a  Tartar  tribe  driven  from  the  north  of  Asia,  and 
which  had  not  been  able  to  find  a  permanent  abode  even 
in  barren  Labrador.  The  remnant  of  the  Normans  re- 
treated before  them  to  the  more  inhospitable  east  coast  of 
Greenland,  where  at  length  almost  all  traces  of  them  were 
lost.  It  was  only  now  and  then  that  they  appeared  singly, 
issuing  from  their  deserts  hemmed  in  by  the  sea  and  by 
ice-mountains',  and  dreaded  as  cannibals  by  the  Esquimaux. 

Greenland  was  subsequently  forgotten  till  the  commer- 
cial spirit  of  the  fifteenth  century  awoke.  The  Christian 
congregations  which  had  subsisted  there  centuries  before 
Were  again  thought  of,  and  it  was  hoped  that  an  intercourse 
might  be  opened  with  them.  Adventurous  mariners  sought 
them  in  vain  on  the  east  coasts.  They  found  only  blood- 
thirsty Savages  and  masses  of  ice. 

After  the  Danes,  under  seven  kings,  had  ineffectually 
endeavoured  to  find  the  lost  Greenland  of  their  ancestors, 
they  at  length  succeeded,  through  the  Christian  courage 
and  perseverance  of  a  single  individual. 

Near  the  rugged  Kiolian  mountains  in  Norway  lived 
Hans  Egede,  pastor  of  the  parish  of  Vogens,  unknown  to 
the  world  and  unacquainted  with  it.  He  one  day  re^ 
collected  having  read  that  in  former  times  Greenland  had 
been  inhabited  by  Christians.  From  mere  curiosity  he 
inquired  of  a  friend  at  Bergen,  who  was  engaged  in  the 
ivhale  fishery,  what  he  knew  concerning  the  state  of  Green- 
land. His  heart  ached  when  he  heard  of  the  paganism  of 
the  straggling  individuals  who  were  found,  often  to  the  de- 
struction of  mariners,  on  the  desolate  coasts.  The  idea 
flashed  across  his  mind,  that  he  ought  to  go  thither  and  en- 
lighten the  darkness  with  the  word  of  Christ.  He  shrank 
nevertheless  from  the  thought,  for  he  had  a  wife  and  child, 
a  moderate  stipend,  and  no  other  resources.  This  was  in 
the  year  1703.  Strenuously  as  he  strove  to  banish  the 
idea,  it  haunted  him  continually,  and  he  could  obtain  no 
peace,  till  he  proceeded  to  carry  it  into  effect,  and  commu* 
nicated  it  in  1711  in  hopes  of  finding  support.  He  ad- 
dressed petitions  to  the  bishops  of  Drontheim  and  Bergen^ 
to  the  College  of  Missions  at  Copenhagen,  and  to  the  royal 
15* 


t  7-1  SUEVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

authorities,  with  proposals  for  founding  a  settlement  ii. 
Greenland,  forming  a  commercial  company,  &c.  Nobody 
would  listen  to  him.  His  wife  and  his  relatives  assailed 
him  with  reproaches  ;  the  superior  authorities  and  persons 
of  wealth  and  distinction  treated  him  in  their  way  as  a  vision- 
ary or  enthusiast;  while  others  openly  ridiculed  his  plans, 
Tn  1715  he  deemed  it  necessary  to  attempt  a  vindication 
of  himself  against  all  these  calumnies  and  misconceptions. 
As  soon  as  he  had  once  gained  the  assent  of  his  wife 
to  his  bold  plan,  things  went  on  more  smoothly.  He 
then  ceased  to  prepare  petitions  and  memorials,  re- 
signed his  office,  hastened  to  Copenhagen,  pleaded  his 
cause  in  person,  and  at  length  gained  his  point  so  far  that 
a  vessel  was  equipped,  and  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of 
a  little  colony,  with  the  appointment  of  missionary  to 
Greenland.  On  the  the  2d  of  May,  1721,  he  embarked 
with  his  wife  and  four  young  children,  overjoyed  at  having 
thus  attained,  after  ten  years'  perseverance,  the  object  of 
bis  wishes. 

With  the  Danes  who  accompanied  him  he  founded  on 
the  west  coast  the  settlement  of  Godhaab  ;  dwelt  among 
the  Savages  who  were  at  first  shy  of  the  new  colonists  ; 
gained  their  mistrustful  hearts  ;  learned,  with  his  children, 
their  language  ;  endured  all  privations  with  them  ;  tra- 
versed amid  many  perils  this  region  of  rocks  and  ice  in 
various  directions  ;  caused  search  to  be  commenced  for 
minerals,  in  hopes  of  rendering  the  country  of  importance 
to  the  Danes,  and  attempts  to  be  made  to  grow  corn,  to 
secure  those  who  had  come  with  him  from  danger  of  famine. 
All  the  paina  that  were  taken  to  obtain  a  permanent  foot* 
ing  in  this  inhospitable  land,  seemed,  however,  to  be  thrown 
away.  The  colonists  were  beset  at  once  by  cold,  hunger, 
and  the  treachery  of  the  natives.  It  was  only  now  and 
then  that  Egede  gained  over  individuals  to  Christianity ; 
and  in  the  space  often  years  he  baptized  but  one  hundred 
and  fifty  children.  The  Danish  government  began  to  be 
tired  of  the  expense,  and  in  1 73 1  King  Christian  VI.  re- 
called the  colonists.  All  were  disheartened  excepting 
Rgede.  With  his  family  and  ten  seamen,  for  whom  there 
vas  not  room  in  the  ships  sent  to  convey  the  people  back 


QBEENLAND.  176 

10  Denmark,  he  remained  in  Greenland.     There  he  waited 
two  years  longer.     His  fortitude  triumphed. 

Not  only  did  the  king  restore  the  Greenland  trade,  and 
afford  fresh  support  to  the  mission,  but  three  new  preachers 
of  salvation,  Matthew,  David,  and  Christian  Stach,  sent  by 
the  Brethren's  Congregation  at  Herrnhut,  arrived  at  once. 
This  was  in  the  year  1733.  They  were  soon  joined  by 
several  others.  They  founded  the  settlement  of  New 
Herrnhut  near  Godhaab  ;  and  subsequently,  as  their  labours 
became  more  prosperous,  a  second  mission,  named  Lich- 
tenfels,  in  1758,  that  they  might  have  access  to  the  more 
remote  Savages.  Thus  did  they,  with  a  courage  undaunted 
by  hardships,  prosecute  the  sacred  work  begun  by  Egede. 
even  after  that  venerable  man  had  in  1736  returned  to  Co- 
penhagen, sick  and  infirm,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  for 
the  better  education  of  his  children,  and  for  the  purpose  oi 
serving  more  effectually  the  interests  of  the  mission.* 

With  the  conversion  of  the  Savages  commenced  their  ci- 
vilization. They  became  habituated  to  permanent  abodes, 
So  early  as  the  year  1762,  four  hundred  and  seventeen 
Greenlanders  dwelt  together  at  New  Herrnhut  and  about 
one  hundred  and  seventy  at  Lichtenfels.  To  these  settle- 
ments were  added  Lichtenau  in  1774,  and  Friedrichsfeld 
in  1824,  and  in  1825  the  number  of  Christian  Greenland- 
ers resident  at  the  three  former  places  amounted  to  about 
one  thousand  four  hundred  persons.  i\ear  these  missions 
and  Godhaab  have  been  formed  several  Danish  establish- 
ments, which  are  gradually  acquiring  more  and  more  influ- 
ence in  softening  the  rude  manners  of  the  natives.  Edi- 
fying works,  and  in  1799  the  Bible,  were  translated  for  the 
converts  into  their  mother  tongue,  and  printed  at  Copen- 
hagen, with  Roman  letters.  The  missionaries  have  also 
founded  schools,  that  none  of  the  baptized  children  maj 
grow  up  without  instruction. 

Since  the  arrival  of  Hans  Egede  a  century  has  now 
elapsed.  Much  has  been  accomplished,  but  yet  much  less 
ihan  might  have  been  expected  from  the  efforts  of  a  hun- 
dred years.  Nature  opposes  great  obstacles,  and  not  less 
the  inveterate  prejudice  of  the  Greenlanders  against  fo- 

*  He  died  ia  175B  at  Slubbrfiloblng,  in  the  island  of  Falster. 


$76  SUHVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

reigners,  and  their  adherence  to  the  notions  of  their  ances-' 
Cors.  In  later  times  too  the  work  of  conversion  has  been- 
carried  on  with  less  zeal  than  at  first. 

It  requires  no  ordinary  perseverance  to  carry  the  light  of 
divine  revelation  to  the  heathen,  to'disregard  all  considera- 
tions, and  to  pass  one's  life  in  those  dreary  deserts  of  rocks 
and  snow,  where  no  verdure  is  to  be  seen  except  at  the 
little  towns  and  villages :  for  while  the  whole  country  is 
bare  and  barren,  the  tops  and  sides  of  the  houses  are  over- 
grown with  grass  and  scurvy-grass  ;  and  the  surrounding 
sand,  fertilized  for  many  years  by  the  blood  and  blubber 
of  seals,  produces  the  finest  herbage.  In  the  distance 
smoke  extinct  volcanoes,  and  the  vast  lofty  ice-fields  emit 
a  radiance  somewhat  resembling  the  aurora  borealis  and 
called  the  ice-blink.  At  the  foot  of  the  mountains  rise,  in 
the  place  of  forests,  series  of  masses  of  ice  full  of  holes  and 
clefts,  of  singular  forms,  sometimes  like  churches  adorned 
with  steeples,  sometimes  like  pillars,  arches,  ruined  pal- 
aces, semi-transparent,  in  the  sun  emitting  rays  of  a  pale 
green  and  silver  colour  from  the  snow,  and  blue  from  the 
clear  ice.  In  severe  winters  water  freezes  on  the  fire  be-' 
fore  it  gets  warm  and  boils  ;  and  spirit  of  wine  frequently 
becomes  as  thick  as  frozen  oil.  The  ground  is  not  tho- 
roughly thawed  till  June ;  but  in  the  longest  days  the  sun 
melts  even  the  pitch  about  the  ships.  At  this  season  float- 
ing ice-bergs  dance  in  the  sea  about  the  coasts.  The  Eu- 
ropeans raise  in  their  gardens  salad,  cabbage,  leeks,  and 
radishes  ;  but  all  vegetables  are  small,  and  even  the  turnips 
seldom  grow  to  a  larger  size  than  a  pigeon's  egg.  Mosses., 
fungi,  and  lichens,  alone  thrive  on  the  unproductive  rocks, 
and  a  few  species  of  grasses  in  the  sheltered  valleys  ;  while 
stunted  fruit-bearing  shrubs,  dwarf  birches,  low  alders,  and 
service-trees,  delight  the  eye  by  their  appearance  in  the 
fiords  of  the  southern  parts  of  the  country  alone.    ' 

It  is  impossible  to  specify  the  number  of  inhabitants 
living  dispersed  in  these  as  yet  too  imperfectly  known  soli- 
tudes. You  may  travel  for  days  together  without  seeing  a 
human  creature.  According  to  the  reports  of  navigators, 
there  were,  anterior  to  the  year  1730,  about  thirty  thousand 
inhabitants  on  that  part  of  the  west  coast  where  the  missions 
and  (lis  Danish  settlements  are  now  situated.     By  174C 


GREENLAND.  1T3 

this  number  had  decreased  one-third.  Crantz  computed 
the  total  population  of  the  west  coast  in  1762  at  about  ten 
thousand  only.  In  the  year  1805  there  were  numbered 
but  six  thousand  and  forty-six  in  the  environs  of  the 
Danish  settlements.  Crantz,  however,  knew  from  the 
statements  of  the  Greenlanders  that,  so  high  as  the  seventy 
eighth  degree,  the  country  was  inhabited  by  people  who 
subsisted  upon  fish,  white  bears,  and  eider-fowl.  The  Bri- 
tish discovery  ships,  sent  out  towards  the  north  pole,  actu- 
ally found  in  1818,  between  the  seventy-sixth  and  seventy- 
eighth  degree,  a  solitary  tribe  of  Esquimaux,  who  consider- 
ed the  world  around  them  as  one  interminable  glacier  and 
themselves  as  the  whole  human  race,  and  who  are  report- 
ed to  have  no  conception  of  the  existence  of  a  Supreme 
Being. 

The  last  assertion,  however,  was  rather  too  precipitate. 
The  English  staid  much  too  short  a  time  among  these 
people  and  were  too  ignorant  of  their  language  to  be  able 
to  form  any  judgment  respecting  their  abstract  ideas.  F5r, 
among  all  the  nations  and  tribes  on  the  face  of  the  globe, 
not  one  has  yet  been  discovered,  which,  upon  more  intimate 
acquaintance,  had  not,  so  soon  as  it  had  constructed  a 
language  for  itself,  combined  with  the  first  notions  of  ex- 
istence, the  idea  also  of  a  superior  unknown  power.  God 
hath  revealed  himself  in  the  universal  feelings  of  all  minds. 
The  natives  of  West  Greenland  too  were  at  first  supposed 
to  have  no  conception  of  a  Deity;  but  the  deeper  Europeans 
penetrated,  by  the  acquisition  of  their  language,  and  by  a 
longer  intercourse  with  them,  into  the  secrets  of  their  souls, 
the  more  the  germs  of  religion  were  there  developed  to  the 
eye  of  the  observer.  They  talk  of  superior  and  inferior 
spirits.  They  know  of  the  creative  breath  of  Pirksoma — 
"  him  who  is  above"— of  Torngarsuk,  a  good  spirit  sub- 
ordinate to  him,  the  oracle  of  their  angekoks^  or  priests, 
who  dwells  in  subterranean  realms  of  bliss  ;  of  an  evil 
spirit  who  resides  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  whose 
house  is  guarded  by  ferocious  seals,  which  stand  erect  ; 
of  the  continued  existence  of  their  souls,  tarngeks — from 
the  very  affinity  of  which  name  with  that  of  the  good  spirit, 
Torngarsuk,  much  may  be  inferred — after  the  dissolution 
of  the  body.  But  to  the  great  spirit  Torngarsuk  they  pay 
neither  reverence  nor  service,  because,  as  Crantz  expresses 


178  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

it,  "  they  consider  him  as  much  too  beneficent  to  desire  to 
be  propitiated  or  bribed." 

Respecting  the  state  of  the  Christian  missions  in  south 
and  west  Greenland  of  late  years  we  know  but  little.  So 
much,  however,  we  know,  that  these  countries  need  a  more 
considerable  number  of  devoted  missionaries  from  Europe 
— in  1792  there  were  but  five — and  that  the  congregations 
of  the  United  Brethren  on  these  coasts  consist  of  about  one 
thousand  souls. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE    MISSIONS    IN   LABRADOR — rAGANISM  IN  THE  EXTREME 
NORTH    OF   AMERICA. 

Whatever  lives  and  breathes  at  the  yet  undiscovered 
north  pole  of  our  globe  is  still  a  mystery.  The  northern- 
most region  with  which  we  are  acquainted  is  a  dreary 
world  of  rocky  islands,  called  Spitzbergen,  where  white 
bears,  foxes,  and  reindeer,  nevertheless,  find  some  food, 
and  snow  and  ice-birds  flutter  about  the  bare  crags.  But 
here,  where  winter  transforms  the  ocean  about  the  islands 
into  an  endless  plain  of  ice,  where  the  longest  night  lasts 
five  months,  and  where,  on  the  other  hand,  the  heat  of 
summer  is  sometimes  intolerable,  dwell  but  a  few  Russian 
settlers  for  the  sake  of  the  fishery. 

Under  somewhat  more  southern  latitudes,  about  Hud- 
son's Bay,  where  indeed  the  climate  is  still  severe,  where 
the  soil  is  rendered  unfit  for  cultivation  by  an  almost  ten 
months'  winter,  but  yet  stunted  varieties  of  the  pine  rear 
their  heads  above  the  snow,  and  where  the  species  of 
animals  are  more  numerous,  the  human  race  also  is  seen 
more  numerously  diffused.  These  people  are  allied  to  the 
Greenlanders  in  their  manners,  language,  and  way  of 
thinking. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  rude  and  extensive  country  of 
Labrador  call  themselves,  like  the  Greenlanders,  Karalits, 
or  Keralrs,  (men)  and  the  Europeans  Kablnnaits,     Tht 


lABBADOB.  170 

Esquimaux,  the  Skrallings  of  Greenland,  were  no  doubl 
originally  but  tribes  cast  out  and  persecuted  by  them. 
The  English  have  long  frequented  these  coasts  for  the  sake 
of  trade,  on  account  of  their  fish  and  furs.  The  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  have  several  settlements  and  factories  there 
for  the  security  of  their  commerce  with  the  Savages.  It 
was  not  till  1764  that  these  parts  were  visited  by  Christian 
missionaries,  who,  in  this  instance  also,  were  Moravian 
Brethren,  and  who  boldly  fixed  their  abode  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  factories.  There  they  founded  in  1771  their  first 
mission,  Nain,  where  eight  German  missionaries  dwelt 
together  to  proclaim  the  word  of  God,  and  to  ennoble  half- 
brutalized  men.  Subsequently,  when  they  were  joined  by 
more  assistants  from  Europe,  and  chiefly  from  Germany, 
they  commenced  in  1776  the  new  settlement  of  Okkak,. to 
the  north  of  Nain,  under  the  fifty-eighth  degree  ;  and  still 
later,  in  1782,  that  of  Hopedale  to  the  southward. 

Providence  has  blest  the  labours  of  these  pious  men. 
Tn  1808  several  hundred  families  of  the  Keraiis,  civilized 
and  industrious,  dwelt  in  affecting  unity  and  devotion 
around  Nain,  Okkak,  and  Hopedale.  Here  are  held 
pious  offices  for  exalting  the  soul  ;  here  are  established 
schools  for  the  children  of  the  long-neglected  natives.  Not 
only  are  there  many  of  the  people  who  can  read,  but 
many  too  find  no  difficulty  in  expressing  their  thoughts  in 
writing  ;  and  the  first  three  Gospels,  translated  into  their 
language,  and  printed  at  the  cost  of  the  British  Bible 
Society,  were  distributed  in  the  autumn  of  1814  among 
their  schools. 

A  far  more  numerous  population  than  is  found  in  the 
environs  of  the  missions  animates  the  northern  and 
western  coasts  of  Labrador.  From  those  parts  Esqui- 
maux caravans  have  all  along  come  from  time  to  time  to 
the  congregations  of  the  Brethren  and  the  British  settle- 
ments for  the  sake  of  traffic.  This  circumstance  induced 
Benjamin  Kohlmester,  one  of  the  missionaries  at  Okkak, 
to  explore  those  countries  in  the  spring  of  1811.  He 
proceeded  along  the  coast  to  Cape  Chudleigh,  under  the 
sixty  first  degree  of  latitude,  and  from  this  north  point  of 
Labrador  south-westward  to  Ungawa  Bay. 

He  set  out  on  this  tour  on  the  19th  of  June,  as  soon  as- 


180  SURVEY   OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

the  bay  of  Okkak  had  become  clear  of  ice.  Accompa- 
nied by  four  Esquimaux  families  and  others,  he  coasted 
between  floating  ice-bergs,  and  was  frequently  detained 
by  fields  of  ice.  From  the  bare  rocks  here  and  there 
thundered  cataracts,  descending  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet 
perpendicular,  and  spreading  below  into  a  cloud  of  vapour. 
Eagles  nestled  on  the  summit  of  rocks,  the  green,  red, 
and  yellow  stone  of  which,  displaying  the  most  fantastic 
shapes,  seemed  sometimes  to  represent  colonnades,  at 
others  Gothic  castles  and  churches.  They  saw  verdant 
valleys,  where  the  golden  potentilla,  tussilago,  and  arnica, 
were  in  flower ;  hills  clothed  to  a  considerable  height 
with  low  shrubs,  dwarf  birches  and  alders  ;  and  an  ash-gray 
rock,  emitting  a  yellowish-white  vapour  with  a  strong 
sulphureous  smell.  This  substance  is  so  corrosive,  that  a 
drop  of  it  falling  on  tinned  iron  consumed  the  metal  in  a 
few  minutes.  Farther  northward,  in  the  country  of  Ser- 
liarutsi,  they  discovered  ruins  of  ancient  Greenland  settle- 
ments, walls,  and  graves,  about  which  the  tradition  of  the 
passage  of  the  Keralis,  who  fled  from  Canada  and 
Labrador  to  the  north  (to  Greenland),  is  still  current 
among  the  Esquimaux.  They  were  every  where  received 
with  surprise  and  hospitality  by  the  tribes  of  savages  who 
had  never  till  then  beheld  a  European. 

An  attempt  has  very  recently  been  commenced  by  the 
Wesleyan  Missionary  Society  to  found  a  permanent 
mission  on  the  west  coast  of  Labrador  to  the  south  of  the 
settlements  of  the  United  Brethren 

New  Wales,  on  the  west  side  of  Hudson's  Bay,  ex- 
tending to  the  sixty-eighth  degree  of  latitude,  is  a  still 
wilder  country  than  Labrador  ;  it  is  inhabited  by  Esqui- 
maux, who  subsist  by  hunting  and  fishing,  and  some 
hundreds  of  Europeans  in  the  service  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  But  no  apostle  of  Christ  has  yet  had  the 
courage  to  penetrate  hither,  or  into  the  immense  plains, 
mountains,  and  forests,  which,  situated  to  the  north  of 
Canada,  are  the  abodes  of  the  North  Indians,  the  Copper 
Indians,  the  Athapuwskows,  the  Nathanas,  the  Chippe- 
ways,  and  other  nomadic  tribes.  Daring  fur-traders  alone 
have  ventured  from  time  to  time  into  these  regions,  un- 
known to  the  rest  of  U»e  world,  except  from  the  travels  of 


RED    RIVER    COLONY.  181 

Mackenzie,  performed  for  the  purpose  of  discovery,  from 
Montreal  to  the  Icy  Ocean  and  the  South  Sea. 

if  the  Father  of  the  Universe  revealed  by  Jesus  is  nor 
known  in  these  northern  wilds  of  America,  they  never- 
theless resound  the  praise  of  the  invisible  "  Great  Spirit,' 
as  he  is  called  by  the  Savages.  Their  household  gods  too 
arc  dear  to  their  simple  minds.  They  are  not  ignorant 
of  the  immortality  of  their  souls.  The  Chippeways  tell  of 
a  delicious  island,  to  which  departed  spirits  are  conveyed. 
They  too  have  priests  and  high-priests,  sacrifices,  and 
religious  rites.  Our  acquaintance,  however,  with  the 
religious  conceptions  of  the  tribes  which  occupy  the 
extreme  north  of  America,  from  Baffin's  and  Hudson's 
Bay  to  Cook's  and  Behnng's  Straits,  and  Nootka  Sound, 
is  exceedingly  imperfect  :  nay,  we  scarcely  yet  know  the 
names  of  all  these  tribes.  They  timidly  withdraw,  as  the 
Europeans  extend  their  settlements,  from  both  the  east 
and  west  coast  of  this  continent  into  the  unexplored 
interior.  Here,  in  the  wilds  of  the  primitive  forests  to 
the  southward,  or  in  the  vast  Highlands  where,  from  the 
everlasting  snows  of  inaccessible  mountains,  the  Missouri. 
Mackenzie,  Nelson,  Columbia,  and  other  rivers,  pursue 
their  course  to  Hudson's  Bay,  the  South  Sea,  and  the 
icebound  North  ;  in  those  almost  endless  plains,  where 
the  soil  has  scarcely  sufficient  depth  for  the  nourishment 
of  plants,  and  .man  and  his  reindeer  are  forced  to  be 
content  with  the  short  crisped  moss  of  the  rocky  desert  : — 
here  is  the  secure  retreat  of  the  aboriginal  natives  of 
America. 

An  attempt  has  indeed  very  recently  been  made  by  the 
<  Ihurch  Missionary  Society  to  carry  the  Gospel  into  these 
wilds,  in  the  establishment  of  a  mission  at  the  colony  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  on  the  Red  River,  in  1820 
The  Rev.  Mr.  West,  who  then  proceeded  to  that  place  as 
chaplain  to  the  Company,  was  appointed  to  superintend 
this  mission,  the  sphere  of  which  is  co-extensive  with  the 
countries  over  which  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  hav« 
trading  establishments,  stretching  from  Canada  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  and  as  far  northward  as  has  hitherto  beer: 
explored.  No  estimate  has  yei  been  tbrmpd  of  the  number 
of  Indians  inhabiting  these  immense  countries  ;  but  a 
16 


182  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

promising  commencement  has  been  made  among  tliem  k> 
the  establishment  of  schools  at  the  Red  River  colony,  and 
in  the  erection  of  churches  in  wilds  where  sabbath-bell 
had  never  yet  tolled  since  the  creation. 

The  accounts  from  this  quarter,  in  the  spring  of  1827, 
will  show  what  powerful  natural  obstacles  the  mission* 
aries  have  here  to  contend  with. 

"  News  of  the  most  deplorable  kind,"  writes  one  of  the 
missionaries  in  February,  "  arrives  daily  from  the  plain.'-. 
The  Canadian  freemen  have  for  some  time  been  subsisting 
on  their  leather  tents,  parchment  windows,  buffalo  robes, 
doe  shoes,  &c.  They  have  devoured  all  the  carcasses  of 
horses,  dogs,  and  other  animals,  that  have  died  since  the 
commencement  of  winter  :  it  is  further  stated  that  the 
dead  bodies  of  those  who  have  perished  have  been  ealen 
by  their  surviving  companions. "  The  distress  of  these 
people  induced  the  missionaries  to  set  on  foot  a  contribu- 
tion among  the  Protestants  for  their  relief. 

In  April  we  have  the  following  report  from  the  same 
writer  : — "  A  striking  combination  of  circumstances  tends 
at  present  to  throw  a  gloom  over  the  temporal  interests  of 
this  colony.  The  failure  of  the  buffalo  in  the  hunting- 
grounds  commenced  the  distress  ;  since  that  time  the 
season  has  exceeded  both  in  duration  a'nd  severity  any 
former  instance  of  the  kind  within  the  memory  of  the 
oldest  inhabitant.  The  settlers  have  for  a  long  time  been 
obliged  to  support  their  cattle  entirely  on  wheat  and 
barley,  and  the  consumption  has  been  so  great  as  to  lead 
me  to  apprehend  a  scarcity  of  seed  for  the  soil.  The 
season  is  getting  so  late  as  to  render  it  probable  that  no 
wheat  crops  at  all  can  be  expected,  and  should  any  thing 
occur  to  prevent  the  prosperity  of  barley  and  potatoes,  we 
shall  be  threatened  with  a  famine." 

The  distress  occasioned  by  the  severity  of  the  weathi  i 
was  aggravated  by  a  destructive  inundation,  from  the  be- 
ginning of  May  to  the  middle  of  June,  in  the  course  oi 
which  nearly  every  house,  excepting  the  dwellings,  school- 
houses,  and  churches  of  the  missionaries,  was  swept  away, 
and  the  country  laid  under  water  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  The  missionaries,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the 
.inhabitants,  were  obliged  for  about  a  month  to  leave  their 
^dwellings  and  reside  in  tents  pitched  on  elevated  ground 


BED  itivmt  colokv.  183 

The  Russians,  crossing  over  from  the  north  of  Asia  to 
the  west  ;o  \sts  of  America,  are  spreading  along  them  more 
and  more  and  in  greater,  number.  Their  fur-traders  and 
hunters,  cruel  and  rapacious,  drive  back  with  rud::  violence 
the  affrighted  Savages.  Not  a  thought  of  converting  or 
civilizing  the  heathen  ever  enters  the  mind  of  any  officer 
of  the  Russian  American  Company.  On  the  peninsula  of 
Alashka,  the  inhabitants  of  winch,  during  the  last  century, 
were  computed  at  sixty  thousand,  there  were  seen  in  18U9 
but  a  few  hundred.  Since  the  Russians  founded  in  1804 
their  settlement  of  New  Archangel,  the  hunted  tutives  have 
sought  refuge  in  remote  regions  beyond  the  reach  of  Euro- 
peans. 

It  needs  not  indeed  the  exercise  of  inhumanities  towards 
the  Indians  to  drive  them  from  the  neighbourhood  of 
Europeans.  Simple  children  of  nature,  they  observe  with 
horror  the  superiority  and  effects  of  European  arts  and 
vices.  They  shrink  from  a  religion,  preached  to  then*  by 
men  who  boast  of  being  sure  of  heaven  after  death,  though 
during  their  lives  they  turn  the  world  into  a  hell.  The 
primitive  American  stedfastly  prefers  the  mode  of  life  of 
his  ancestors  to  the  indulgences  introduced  by  strangers, 
and  the  independence  of  Nature  to  the  slavery  or  social 
ordinances  and  permanent  abodes.  Thus,  in  1799, 
Mackenzie  saw  a  whole  colony  of  Iroquois  emigrate  to  the 
Saskatchiwine  river,  though  thr;y  had  from  childhood  dwelt 
nine  English  miles  from  Montreal,  lived  among  Romish 
missionaries,  and  been  instructed  bv  them. 


ii)4  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SURVEY    OF     THE    TU       CAN  AD  AS APTONISHING    PROGRESf 

OF  RELIGION  AND  OF  iUZATlON  AMONG  THE  SAVAGE 
TRIBES  IN  AND  T  EAR  Till  UNITED  STATES  AND  THE 
Sl'AMSH    TERRITORIES     IN    NORTH    AMER'CA. 

In  the  west  ar>d  north  of  Canada,  to  the  Asiatic  Ocean 
and  the  ley  Sea,  am.  .  >uthward  to  the  uncertain  limits 
of  the  United  States  and  the  Mexican  territory,  over  an 
area  of  more  tn;  n  two  u.lliofi  fiv*.  nundr^d  th-usand  square 
miies,  an  area  equal  o  hat  of  all  Europe  the  ancient  un- 
broke:i  paganism  rdig •  s  d  a  variety  of  forms.  As  vet  we 
scarcely  know  th<  navnes  of  all  the  nations  by  which  it  is 
inhabited,  to  say  i  oihmg  oi  their  religions  notions.  Even 
in  the  terr  tories  of  the  United  Suto*  and  in  the  British 
and  Spanish  possession^  in  North  America,  there  dwell 
man;  independent  Indian  tribes  woo  worship  fetishes  and 
know  nothing  of  the  purer  ievela*ions  of  «^od.  It  is  only 
along-  the  sea-coas Is,  in  the  towns,  villages,  and  settlements 
of  European  colonists,  *5iat  the  Christian  religion  prevails. 
Attempts  have,  however,  been,  made,  troio  tiaw  to  time 
and  at  different  points,  wirh  varions  su'-e^ss.  to  communi- 
cate tiie  sa,  *ed  light  of  the  Gospel  to  the  savage  tribes. 

In  Upper  Oanada,  to  the  south  west  of  the  Utuwa  river, 
where  the  English  episcopal  church  predominates,  dwell 
also  some  Quakers,  Mennonites,  Moravians,  ar;d  Hunkers, 
especially  in  the  district  of  Kingston.  The  Protectants  in 
this  quarter  have  for  many  years  past  d<>ne  much  for  the 
religious  and  moral  cultivation  of  the  neighbouring  Indian 
hordes.  The  S ociety  for  the  Propagation  of  the  Gospel 
has  missions  of  its  own  for  the  conversion  of  the  Mohawks, 
both  at  Kingston  ao'l  at  the  town  of  \iagara  on  the  river 
of  that  name.  The  Moravian  Brethren  have  i  ;veral  such 
institutions,  and  by  their  missionaries  Lucy  have  already 
founded  whole  colonies  of  Christian  Indians,  who  dwell 
together  in  fraternal  harmony,  engaged  in  agriculture, 
breeding  cattle,  weaving,  the  preparation  of  sugar  from 
maple  juice,  and  other  occupations, 


United  states  of  north  America.  135 

In  Lower  Canada,  formerly  *  French  colony,  the  Catho- 
lic  church    prevails.     Since   the  English    have  become 

musters  of  the  country,  the  clergy  seem  to  have  fallen  off 
both  in  point  of  education  and  in  their  zeal  for  the  conver- 
sion of  the  heathen.  "  The  priests  in  Canada,"  says  the 
Duke  de  Rochefoucault-Liancourt  in  his  Travels,  '•  are 
precisely  what  they  are  in  general  among  us  and  every  where 
else,  subtle,  ambitious,  supporters  of  arbitrary  power,  when 
it  is  disposed  to  increase  their  influence  and  wealth,  and 
will  not  allow  either  freedom  of  thought  or  independence 
of  judgment,  'i  he  majority  of  tiie  priesthood  can  do  no 
more  than  read  an  !  write,  and  are  ignorant  and  super- 
stitious in  the  highest  degree." 

The  French  revolution  was  beneficial  to  these  coun- 
tries, inasmuch  as  it  caused  many  emigrant  priests  to  set- 
tle there  ;  and  the  piety  of  these  men,  heightened  by  suf- 
ferings, and  their  talents,  acquired  by  a  superior  education, 
furnished  a  pattern  to  the  others.  By  their  means  too  the 
nearly  extinct  spirit  for  the  diffusion  of  Christianity  was 
revived. 

The  bishop  of  Quebec  has  under  him  one  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  parish  priests  and  missionaries.  The  latter 
may  be  considered  as  the  ministers  of  the  Christian  Huron 
villages  on  the  North  shore  of  Lake  Lrie,  of  the  great 
Indian  colony  of  Arbre  Croche,  and  of  other  Indian  set- 
tlements, which,  as  foundations  of  former  times,  they 
rather  keep  up  than  increase. 

In  the  United  States  of  North  America  infinitely  greater 
zeal  is  manifested  for  the  conversion  and  civilization  of 
the  Savages.  Here  we  find  an  evident  rivalry  of  all  reli- 
gions and  all  churches  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  and  wor- 
ship of  God..  This  would  perhaps  be  least  expected  in  a 
federal  state,  whither  thousands  seem  to  repair  merely  fot 
the  sake  of  a  subsistence  or  to  enjoy  civil  liberty,  and 
where  general  toleration  is  the  fundamental  principle  oi 
most  of  the  constitutions — a  principle  which  is  condemned. 
as  might  be  expected,  by  the  great  majority  of  the  Euro- 
pean clergy.  For  the  latter,  unmoved  by  the  convictions 
of  plain  human  reason,  which  teaches  that  with  so  many 
degrees  of  national  civilization  one  uniform  mode  of  divine 
worship  is  impracticable;  unmoved  bv  the  picture  of  pas' 
16* 


180  SUKVEY    OF   CHRISTlANlTr. 

ages  ;  unmoved  by  the  example  of  the  merciful  God,  who- 
is  the  father  of  the  suckling  as  well  as  of  the  hoary  philo- 
sopher, of  the  heathen  in  the  wilderness  as  well  as  of  the 
disciple  of  Jesus  ;  unmoved  by  the  blime  doctrine  oi 
Christ  himself  and  his  apostles,  that  whoever  does  right 
and  loves  God  is  agreeable  to  him  condemn  in  their 
proud  orthodoxy  all  who  are  not  of  their  own  opinion, 
and  perceive  in  a  liberal  indulgence  of  religious  convic- 
tions merely  a  sinful  indifference  to  rei'gion   itself. 

The  spirit  of  the  constitution  of  the  North  American 
States  is  a  truly  great,  a  truly  Christian,  spirit,  because  it. 
is  most  consonant  with  the  arrangements  of  Nature :  it 
assumes  no  insolent  authority  over  the  conscience  ;  if 
embraces  with  equal  affection  men  of  all  persuasions. 
Whoever  acknowledges  the  true  God,  consequently  the 
Jew,  and  even  the  Muhamedan,  has  the  free  enjoyment 
of  civil  rights  in  the  greater  part  of  these  States  ;  whoever 
is  a  Christian,  no  matter  to  what  denomination  he  belongs, 
is  admissible  to  any  office  Thus  abou  seventy  different 
sorts  of  Christian  churches  flourish  in  peace  beside  one  ano- 
ther; and  each  church,  each  congregation,  pajs  the  minis- 
ters whom  it  chooses  for  itself.  Catholics  spread  themselves 
ty  the  side  of  Protestants  ;  and  the  fanatio  Trappists,  like 
the  fanatic  Shakers,  here  find  an  undisturbed  abode 
Here  insensate  religious  animosities  disapj  ar.  It  is  de- 
lightful to  see  Protestants  contributing  to  the  erection  oi 
Catholic  churches,  and  on  the  other  hand  Catholic  parents, 
•or  want  of  priests  of  their  own  communion,  carrying  th^ir 
new-born  infants  to  Protestant  ministers  to  be  baptized 
according  to  the  Romish  ritual.  Mere  the  thunders  of 
the  Vatican,  which  still  frequently  terrify  European  sove- 
reigns., are  unknown  ;  here  arc  no  unchristian -prohibitions 
igainst  marriages  between  persons  of  different  churches 
.!<°re  rule  God  and  the  laws,  not  priests,  not  concordats,  not 
in  elect  church,  which  makes  citizens  of  a  different  per 
suasion  either  outcasts  or  step-children  of  the  State. 

The  European  emigrants  who,  mourning  over  the  de- 
fects of  their  ancient  countries,  transport  themselves  across 
ocean   to  the  New  World,  are   in  general  more  reli- 
giously disposed  by  their  lot  than  those  who  remain  behind 
heir  accustomed  sphere.     They  enter  a  strange  land. 


UNITED    STATES  OP    NORTH    AMERICA.  187 

where  they  have  no  friend  but  their  God,  and  they  cling 
to  him  with  closer  attachment  than  ever.  Many  fathers 
if)  their  solitudes  baptize  their  children  themselves  ;  many 
mutually  administer  the  holy  communion  to  each  »ther, 
as  the  disciple^  of  Jesus  did  after  he  had  quitted  thcrn. 
Religion  has  always  existed  before  the  priesthood. 

Missionaries  of  the  most  diverse  sects  repair  preaching1 
to  the  wilds,  the  primitive  abodes  of  the  savages,  unsoli- 
cited, unpaid:  they  have  penetrated  fir  beyond  the  Mis- 
sissippi, the  Missouri,  and  the  Ohio,  and  have  founded 
congregations  of  converted  heathen.  In  all  the  cities  and 
states  there  are  numerous  Missionary  Societies,  especially 
among  the  Protestants.  The  "  Society  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel  among  the  Heathen"  which  held  its 
first  meeting  at  Bethlehem  in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  2 1st 
of  September,  1787,  and  was  a  few  months  later  legally 
acknowledged  by  that  state,  lias  been  particularly  active. 
Not  content  to  confine  their  attention  to  the  neighbouring 
Indian  tribes,  the  Americans  established  in  1812  a  u  Soci- 
ety for  Foreign  Missions*''  which  has  sent  out  messengers 
of  salvation  to  the  islands  of  East  and  South  India.  With 
me  number  of  foreign  settlers  and  of  the  rapidly  rising 
cities,  towns,  and  colonies,  the  zeal  for  the  diffusion  of 
Christianity  far  and  near  increases  also.  The  circulation 
of  the  Sacred  Scriptures  in  all  languages  contributes  noia 
little  to  encourage  this  zeal,  hi  1827  there  were  in  the 
United  States  five  hundred  and  seventy-eight  Bible  Socie- 
ties :  and  their  number  and  activity  in  all  parts  continue 
to  augment,  even  among  the  Catholics  themselves,  in  spite 
of  the  Pope's  Bull.  Among  these  laudable  associations., 
;!i>rc  is  even  a  "  Bible  Society  for  Africa,"  which  w^s  es1 
tablishtfd  at  Philadelphia  in  1816. 

From  an  official  report,  drawn  up  by  the  Rc\gpt)r, 
Morse,  we  learn  that  tiie  number  of  the  Indians  within 
the  territories  of  the  United  States  amounts  to  no  more 
th.iri  47 1 ,000.  These  may  be  considered  as  forming  three 
grand  divisions,  namely,  those  residing  eastward  of  the 
Mississippi,  to  the  number  of  120,000  ;  between  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  the  Rocky  Mountains  180,000;  and  westward 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  171,000.  The  whole  number 
af  tribes  and   branches  dispersed   over  this   vast  tract  of 


138  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

country  is  about  two  hundred  and  sixty,  of  which  about 
seventy  are  in  the  first,  division,  ninety  in  the  second,  and 
one  hundred  in  the  third.  Some  of  these  tribes  are  very 
small  :  one  lias  dwindled  down  to  fifteen  persons,  while 
the  Choctaws  amount  to  25,000,  the  Creeks  to  20,000 
and  the  Cherokees  to  11,000.  The  proportion  of  war- 
riors to  the  whole  number  of  souls  is  about  one  to  five, 
except  in  the  tribes  which  dwell  among  the  Whites,  where 
the  proportion  is  as  one  to  three. 

Of  the  number  of  the  aborigines  of  the  North  American 
continent  living  to  the  southward  of  the  territory  of  the 
United  States,  and  of  those  who  range  the  boundless 
plains  to  the  north  and  north-west,  no  estimate  has  yet 
been  formed. 

Many  of  the  small  tribes  of  the  Creeks,  Delaware?. 
Iroquois,  Hurons,  &c,  are  already  converted  to  the  Chris- 
tian  faith,  and  to  the  missions  of  the  United  Brethren  this 
glorious  result  is  chiefly  owing.  Together  with  a  holy 
faith  many  of  these  tribes  have  adopted  milder  manners, 
built  permanent  settlements,  and  embraced  more  useful 
occupations.  Thus  to  the  Quakers  of  New-York  belongs 
the  credit  of  having  first  made  the  words  of  eternal  love 
and  the  civilization  of  polished  nations  dear  to  the  tribe  of 
the  Onondagos.  These  once  ferocious  Savages,  now 
brethren  of  the  European  settlers,  cultivate  their  extensive 
fields  in  pe'ace,  pasture  their  numerous  herds  at  the  foot 
of  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  and  make  sugar,  soap,  and 
many  sorts  of  European  stufis. 

The  name  of  the  Iroquois  is  still  proverbial  in  Europe 
on  account  of  their  ancient  barbarity.  But  they  are 
savages  no  longer ;  they  have  learned  to  know  the  Eternal 
Father  of  the  Universe  through  Jesus.  To  the  west  of 
Carofcna  are  to  be  seen  many  of  their  villages,  some  ol 
them  neatly  built.  Many  hundreds  of  persons  of  Euro- 
pean extraction  dwell  quietly  among  them  and  are  partly 
married  to  Iroquois  women.  In  their  towns  they  have 
public  buildings,  churches,  and  artisans.  Their  school- 
arid  school-hooks  are  highly  commended.  The  Lancas- 
trian mode  of  instruction  is  general  among  them.  It  is 
in  truth  one  of  the  most  remarkable  signs  of  the  times 
that  public  instruction  is  more  zealously  encouraged  among 


UNITED   STATES    OF   NORTH   AMEUICA.  18!* 

Hie  Iroquois  than  in  many  countries  of  Europe.,  where 
perfidious  or  prejudice)  counsellors  of  princes,  a  nobility 
fond  of  power,  or  a  priesthood  anxious  to  keep  the  people 
in  darkness,  would  rather  sulfur  the  schools  for  the  lower 
classes  to  crumble  in  ruin,  and  oppose  to  the  utmost  of 
their  power  the  diffusion  of  knowledge  among  the  pea- 
santry, that  they  may  retain  under  their  yoke  a  ra:ve  of 
human  brutes,  from  whose  ignorance  they  have  no  oppo- 
sition to  fear.  What  friend  of  humanity  is  there  whose 
heart  does  not  thrill  to  its  utmost  recesses  at  such  a  sight ! 
The  Iroquois  are  regularly  advancing  in  civilization. 
Their  most  common  occupations,  besides  those  of  agri- 
culture, horticulture,  and  the  breeding  of  cattle,  are  spin- 
ning and  weaving  ;  be  they  have  also  saltpetre-works, 
gunpowder- mills,  blacksmiths,  and  even  gold  and  silver- 
smiths. 

The  civilizat'on  «  f  these  and  other  sa*'age  tribes  is 
one  of  ihe  most  laudable  acts  of  the  government  of 
the  North  American  States.  On  the  Five  Nations,  as 
they  are  called,  it  expends  annually  the  sum  of  ten  thou- 
sand dollars  f  »r  the  pur  base  of  agricultural  implements 
and  tools  ofal1  kinds.  The  Brethren's  congregations,  the 
Methodists,  the  Baptis  -.  and  the  Qu;  !.ers,  particularly 
distinguish  themselves,  in  concert  with  the  American 
Board  of  Miss:ons.  by  their  ze:d  tor  diminishing  the  bar- 
barism of  the  fborigin  xl  inhabitants  of  America.  The 
Mohawks,  theOneidas,  and  others,  already  have,  like  the 
Iroquois,  schools  for  teaching  writing,  reading,  arithmetic, 
&.e.  The  tow n  of  Tumssassa,  belonging  to  the  Seneca- 
Indians  near  the  Alleghany  river,  consists  chiefly  of  houses 
with  :  wo  floors,  and  has  an  elegant  <  hurch.  The  Huron* 
cultivate  the  land  and  t:a-:e  in  corn. 

liespectmg  tiie  present  .^tate  of  the  Cherokee  Indians, 
a  public  address  delivered  by  one  of  the  tribe  in  the  h.rst 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Philadelphia,  i  May  Ibid,  and 
siiice  ;  ubhshed,  furnishes  highly  inter,  s  inir   information. 

The  territories  of  this  nation,  lying  within  the  chartered 
limits  of  the  states  of  Georgia,  Tennessee,  and  Alabama, 
extend  about  two  hundred  mile-  in  length  from  west  to 
ca*t  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  oreadth.  The  popu- 
lation, which  has  been  for  some  y<  ars  past  on  the  increase, 
has  been  also,  according  to  the  authority  above  mentioned. 


190  SURVEY    OP  CHRISTIANITY. 

making  rapid  strides  in  civilization.  As  the  chase  ha£ 
become  inadequate  to  their  subsistence,  they  have  been 
obliged  to  resort  to  agriculture  am!  the  breeding  of  cattle  ; 
and  the  improvement  thus  commenced  has  been  accelerated 
by  the  invention  of  letters  to  express  the  Cherokee  words, 
the  translation  of  the  New  Testament  into  that  language, 
and  the  organization  of  a  regular  government.  The 
nation,  we  are  told,  is  divided  into  eight  districts,  each 
having  its  established  court  of  justice,  wi-ere  disputed  cases 
are  decided  by  a  jury,  with  proper  officers  to  execute  their 
decisions.  The  legislative  authority  is  vested  in  a  general 
court  composed  of  the  national  committee  and  council,  the 
former  consisting  of  thirteen  members,  the  latter  of  thirty- 
two  besides  the  speaker  ;  and  the  executive  power  is  vested 
in  two  principal  chiefs,  who  hold  their  office  during  good 
behaviour,  and  sanction  the  decisions  of  the  legislative 
council. 

Polygamy  is  abolished  and  female  honour  protected  by 
law.  The  sabbath  is  respected  by  the  council  during 
session.  The  mechanicai  arts  are  encouraged.  The 
pnetice  of  putting  aged  persons  to  death  for  witchcraft  is 
abolished,  and  murder  is  now  a  crime  against  the  State. 

Such  is  the  picture  drawn  by  a  member  of  the  Cherokee 
nation  ;  u  and,"  say  the  conductors  of  the  .North  American 
Review,  from  whose  pages  these  particulars  are  extracted, 
"  we  have  no  doubt  of  their  truth." 

The  missionary  establishments  for  the  education  of  In- 
dian vouth  in  the  United  States,  founded  and  supported  by 
voluntary  contributions,  and  aided  by  an  annual  appro* 
priation  from  the  national  treasury,  open  encouraging 
prospects.  Of  these  establishments  there  are  forty-one  in 
operation  on  the  frontiers  of  the  United  States.  We  know 
not  how  many  pupils  they  contain,  but  the  expenditure, 
which  in  1824  was  191,000  dollars,  in  1825  exceeded 
202,000.  When  it  is  considered  that  the  value  of  their 
own  agricultural  products,  and  the  labour  of  their  teachers, 
artisans,  and  others,  which  is  wholly  gratuitous,  constitute 
no  part  of  this  amount,  some  conception  may  be  formed  ol 
the  value  of  these  eleemosynary  foundations.  The  children 
of  both  sexes  are  here  fed,  clothed,  and  taught,  and  pre 
pared  by  regular  discipline  for  those  duties,  which  subse- 
quent events  may  probably  call  them  to  perform. 


UNITED  STATES    OF  NORTH    AMERICA.  191 

Another  plan,  proposed  for  meliorating  the  condition  ol 
the  North  American  Indians,  and  preserving  them  from 
farther  decline  and  eventual  extinction,  is  the  scheme  fur 
removing  them  to  the  country  westward  of  the  Mississippi, 
and  there  establishing  them  in  a  permanent  residence. 
This  proposition  was  submitted  by  the  President  to  Con- 
gress, two  years  ago,  but  the  public  opinion  respecting  its 
practicability  and  consequences  is  yet  unsettled. 

The  missions  of  the  French,  Spaniards,  and  Portuguese 
in  America  and  other  ports  of  the  world,  supported  for 
centuries  at  an  immense  expense,  can  scarcely  boast  such 
rapid  and  permanent  effects  as  these.  The  power  of  free- 
will piety  and  the  pure  love  of  what  is  good  is  always 
greater  than  that  of  constraint  and  selfish  secondary 
motives,  which  but  too  often  discovered  themselves  in 
these  missions.  The  force  of  moral  convictions  is  more 
binding  than  that  of  compulsory  habit. 

The  Fndian  nations  of  North  America  are  for  the  res! 
not  less  averse  than  others  to  exchange  their  mode  of  life 
and  religion  for  those  of  Europeans.  For  liberty  and  in- 
dependence they  cheerfully  sacrifice  life  itself,  and. despise 
with  savage  pride  the  most  excruciating  torments.  They 
regard  the  Europeans  it  is  true  as  a  more  industrious  and 
skilful,  but  at  the  same  time  a  more  unnatural  and  vicious 
race  of  people.  They  continue  to  be  mistrustful  of  stran- 
gers, who  have  partly  wrested  from  them  the  land  of  their 
forefathers,  contracted  their  hunting-grounds,  and  brought 
such  calamities  upon  them  by  the  introduction  of  spirituous 
liquors. 

As  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  simplicity  of  their 
wants,  their  language  is  poor  in  words  ;  but  their  under 
standing  is  nevertheless  neither  so  limited  nor  so  dark  as 
Europeans  were  formerly  led  too  precipitately  to  suppose. 
Their  dialects,  mostly  deficient  in  terms  for  temporal  want?,. 
arc  not  so  meagre  in  expressions  for  what  is  not  of  this 
world.  They  distinguish  very  accurately  between  the  souk 
as  being  immortal,  and  the  body.  "  We  can  die,  but  not 
cease  to  be,"  say  they  to  the  missionaries.  "  The  grain  of 
maize  dies  too,  when  it  is  put  into  the  ground,  but  it  is  not 
dead  for  all  that."  From  LoskiePs  History  of  the  Missions 
of  the  United  Brethren  among  the  Delawares  and  Iroquois 


SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIAINITV. 

wc  know  that  their  priests  frequently  insist  on  a  virtuous 
life  as  an  essential  condition  for  reaching  the  abode  of  the 
good  spirits  after  the  death  of  the  body.  They  present 
offerings  to  the  Manitous,  good  spirits,  (tutelar  angels)  but 
to  these  only,  and  not  to  the  Great  Spirit  (God),  who  de- 
sires no  offerings  and  is  too  exalted  for  them.  They  be- 
lieve also  the  existence  of  an  evil  spirit,  without  propitia- 
ting him  by  offerings.  To  them  dreams  are  divine  revela- 
tions, as  they  were  in  the  primitive  ages  of  European  and 
Asiatic  society. 

The  Catholics  as  well  as  the  Protestants  in  North  Ameri- 
ca have  in  our  limes  shared  in  the  glory  of  propagating 
Christianity  and  laboured  in  the  cause  with  success.  It  is 
not  only  from  the  United  States,  but  also  from  the  French 
and  Spanish  missions  in  Louisiana  and  Mexico,  that  the 
light  of  the  Gospel  has  been  shed  on  the  forests  and  wilds 
of  the  independent  Indians.  Thus,  during  the  last  fifty 
years  the  Catholic  faith  lias  been  diffused  among  a  great 
part  of  the  Iroquois,  Hurons,  and  Illinois,  also  among  the 
J'oluxas,  who  dwell  below  Natchicoches,  and  among  the 
Adaizes,  on  the  Mermentas,  in  whose  country  there  is  a 
permanent  Spanish  mission. 

There  are  also  several  Spanish  missions  on  the  river 
Mrana,  in  the  north  of  New  Spain,  not  far  from  the  posts 
of  San  Antonio  and  San  Saba,  At  each  of  them  reside 
seven  or  eight  families  of  converted  Indians,  mostly  cap- 
tives taken  by  the  Spaniards  in  war  with  the  Savages,  but 
who  are  severely  oppressed  and  obliged  to  labour  for  the 
benefit  of  the  missionaries. 

Of  the  French  Father  liable  acquired  among  the  Hu- 
rons and  the  Iroquois  the  reputation  of  an  apostle  by  his 
zeal  and  piety.  In  the  year  1724  he  was  put  to  death  bj 
ilie  savages.  The  Jesuits  at  Quebec  were  particularly 
active  :  but  the  answer  given  in  1682  by  the  Iroquois  am- 
bassador to  the  French  governor,  M.  de  la  Barde,  when, 
in  the  negotiation  of  a  treaty  of  peace,  the  latter  inquired 
why  the  Iroquois  particularly  insisted  that  no  Jesuits  should 
come  among  them,  is  remarkable.  The  honest  Indian 
replied:  "Those  men  in  their  wide  black  frocks  would 
never  think  of  coming  to  us  if  wc  had  no  women  and  n<> 
beavers.1' 


SPANISH    NORTH    AMERICA.  I9t 


The  war  of  independence,  and  the  civil  commotions  in 
Spanish  America,  which  continued  without  interruption 
for  many  years  subsequently  to  1810,  have  greatly  para 
lyzed  the  activity  of  the  missions. 


CHAPTER  V. 

<1*IRIT  01-  CONVERSION    IN  SPANISH    NORTH    AMERICA — THE 
CALIFOUMANS — Til  LIU    RELIGIOUS    NOTIONS. 

It  is  little  more  than  three  centuries  since  the  discover) 
of  the  New  World.  Before  three  centuries  more  elapse 
the  States  of  America  will  probably  rival  the  most  flourish 
mgin  the  Old  World  :  for  there  thrive  religious  ideas  and 
institutions,  for  the  magnitude  and  simplicity  of  which  the 
latter  seems  to  have  no  room  left. 

It  is  but  about  a  hundred  years  since  the  death  of  William 
Penn,  the  illustrious  and  pious  Quaker,  to  whom  Pennsyl- 
vania owes  its  name,  culture,  and  civilization.  With  him 
commenced  in  North  America,  exclusively  of  the  Spanish 
possessions,  a  proper  feeling,  a  genuine  zeal  for  the  con- 
version and  civilization  of  the  Savages ;  and  now  numerous 
tribes  enjoy  the  blessings  of  both.  We  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  in  another  hundred  years  the  greater  part 
of  the  North  American  tribes, who  are  still  roving  about  in 
•  heir  forests  without  instruction,  will  have  permanent 
abodes,  towns,  villages,  agriculture,  manufactures,  am! 
commerce. 

William  Penn  realized  in  his  colonies  the  grand  idea  oi 
•omplcte  religious  liberty.  His  example  operated  on  the 
surrounding  provinces.  To  this  idea  the  vast  continent  of 
the  North  American  States  owes  its  wonderfully  rapid  pros- 
perity and  the  easy  propagation  of  Christianity.  The 
latter  has  been  effected,  as  in  the  early  ages  of  our  religion, 
without  force  of  arms,  without  the  edicts  of  governments, 
by  the  efforts  of  private  individuals. 

In  the  Spanish  possessions  a  totally  different  spirit     i  • 
17 


194  SUIiVEi    OF    CHBISTUMTY. 

vailed.  In  these  too  now  dwell  numerous  civilized  Chris 
tian  Indians.  They  are  the  despised  relics  of  the  descend- 
ants of  those  who,  on  the  destruction  of  the  ancient  Mexi- 
can monarchy,  fell  by  the  sword  of  the  Spaniards,  or  fled 
into  the  forests.  Their  vanquished  forefathers,  dragged 
into  slavery,  adopted,  under  the  terrors  of  Spanish  cruelty. 
the  faith  and  laws  of  eternal  love.  Thus  they  are  still 
subordinate  to  the  four  archbishoprics  of  Mexico,  Gauda- 
laxara,  Durango,  and  St.  Louis  Potosi.  It  is  easy  to  form 
some  idea  of  Mexican  Christianity,  if  we  recollect  with 
what  severity  the  Inquisition  has  hitherto  ruled  there.  The 
punishments  of  the  Holy  Office  have  ever  been  regarded 
with  reverenee  as  well  pleasing  to  the  Deity,  and  so  lateh 
as  the  year  1770  De  Pages,  the  cjreumnavigator,  found  in 
the  Spanish  catechism,  under  the  head  of  "  Works  of  Chris- 
tian Love,"  the  abominable  injunction  that  those  who  go 
astray  must  be  punished  and  not  conducted  back  into  the 
right  way. 

It  is  not  surprising  then  that  the  neighbouring  indepen- 
dent Indian  tribes  are  adverse  to  the  God  and  the  manners 
of  the  Spaniards.  The  business  of  conversion  proceeds 
slowly,  though  the  court  of  Madrid  formerly  allotted  three 
hundred  thousand  piastres  a  year  for  missions,  but,  indeed, 
the  money  was  in  general  very  irregularly  paid. — The  sa- 
cred work  is  carried  on  by  monks,  who  repair  to  the  wil- 
derness from  a  sense  of  duty  or  by  command  of  their  supe- 
riors ;  not  as  is  done  in  the  rest  of  North  America,  by  pious 
volunteers,  from  spontaneous  enthusiasm  or  ardent  fondness 
for  the  office.  The  former  cannot  go  without  being  ac- 
companied and  guarded  by  soldiers  ;  the  latter  have  no 
other  protection  than  God  and  their  conscience.  Had  all 
the  EunSpean  Christians  gone  forth  to  the  Indians  in  the 
same  truly  Christian  spirit  as  Penn,  the  Quaker,  I  have  no 
doubt  that  Christianity  would  have  been  at  this  day  the  re- 
ligion of  most  of  the  aboriginal  Americans.  Penn  con- 
cluded an  honourable  treaty  with  his  savage  neighbours. 
This  is  the  only  treaty  ever  made  between  these  people 
and  the  Christians  without  being  sworn  to  ;  and  it  is  also 
the  only  one  that  has  not  been  broken.  The  others  were 
negotiated  in  the  true  European  style,  sword  in  hand,  bo* 
Vmnly  sworn  to,  and  wantonly  violated. 


SPANISH    NORTII    AMERICA  195 

If  the  numerous  missions  in  North  American  New 
Spain,  where  among  the  Guyamas  alone  the  Jesuits  and 
after  them  the  Franciscans  and  other  orders  had  twenty- 
Ibur  missions,  have  produced  like  benefit,  the  chief 
obstacle  consisted  in  the  royal  ordinance,  directing  that 
the  Indians  should  be  compelled  for  five  years  after  their 
conversion  to  labour  in  agriculture  and  the  mines.  The 
term  indeed  was  subsequently  shortened,  but  only  in  the 
royal  ordinance  and  not  in  reality.  Hence  the  shyness  of 
the  Savages.  They  consider  the  dedication  to  < Christianity 
as  a  dedication  to  slavery.  The  insurrection  of  the  Indians 
in  the  province  of  Souora,  in  the  year  1751,  was  the 
result  of  this  feeling  It  is  conjectured  that  occasional 
commotions  of  this  kind  were  not  disagreeable  to  the 
American  Spaniards  ;  since  they  afforded  them  pretext 
for  keeping  the  captives  more  rigorously  to  their  servile 
occupations. 

Besides  the  attempts  at  conversion  hitherto  made  in 
the  interior  and  partially  on  the  frontiers  of  the  vireroyalty 
of  New  Spain  in  "JQrth  America,  as  in  the  missions  of  the 
provinces  of  Sonora,  Cinaloa,  Ostimuri,  &,c.  they  have 
likewise  been  prosecuted  in  the  extensive  peninsula  of 
California,  but  with  fluctuating  success.  Of  all  the 
Spanish  missionary  institutions  in  North  America  those 
in  California  have  hitherto  been  the  most  celebrated. 
But  the  missions  were  rendered  subservient  less  to  a 
sacked  than  to  a  political  object,  the  subjugation  of  the 
country  to  the  Spanish  crown  by  means  of  Christianity — 
and  this  very  circumstance  must  have  operated  as  an  im- 
pediment to  the  undertaking,  even  to  the  present  day. 

After  Hernando  de  Grixalva  had,  in  1534,  discovered 
the  peninsula,  which  is  nearly  as  large  as  Italy,  exclusively 
of  its  islands,  the  first  thought  of  the  Spaniards  was  to 
make  themselves  masters  of  the  country.  Its  chain  of 
bare  mountains  promised  gold  ;  its  southern  coast  yielded 
pearls  During  a  century  and  a  half  repeated  expeditions 
were  sent  thither,  but  to  no  purpose  The  savages,  natu- 
rally intelligent  and  of  a  martial  disposition,  and  rendered 
mistrustful  by  the  first  perfidies  of  the  Spaniards,  repelled 
the  invaders  with  a  superior  force.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  the  Spanish  court  even  relin- 
quished in  despair  all  idea  of  reducing  California. 


196  SURVEY   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

Still,  however,  that,  idea  was  cherished  in  the  bosom  of 
a  few  Jesuits,  and  it  engaged  more  particularly  the  mind 
of  Father  Eusebius  Francis  Kiihn,  (called  Kino  by  the 
Spaniards,)  a  German,  who,  in  order  to  treac]  in  ihe  steps 
of  the  apostles,  resigned  the  professorship  of  astronomy 
in  the  high  school  at  Ingolstadt,  and  undertook  the  dan- 
gerous office  of  a  missionary  in  Spanish  America.*  As 
such  he  resided  in  the  province  of  Sonora,  the  northern- 
most of  the  Spanish  possessions,  situated  on  the  South 
Sea,  or  rather  on  the  Gulf  of  Calitornia.  Encouraged  by 
iiim,  Father  Juan  Maria  de  Saiva-Tierra  proceeded  in 
1697  to  California  with  some  soldiers  and  Jesuits.  The 
prudence  with  which  this  pious  and  resolute  man  con- 
ducted himself  in  the  peninsula,  whither  Kiihn  soon  fok 
lowed  him,  decided  the  fate  of  ihat  country.  Kiihn  w!;o, 
by  his  overland  journey  from  Sonora  to  California,  first 
acquired  a  certainty  that  the  latt'  -  was  not  an  island, 
founded  the  mission  of  Loretto.  on  the  Red  Ser.,  as  the 
gulf  between  America  and  California  was  now  denomi- 
nated, and  fortified  the  place  according  to  the  rules  of 
military  science.  After  a  firm  footing  had  been  gained, 
Spain  sent  succours  in  arms,  troops,  Jesuits,  implements, 
and  conveniences  of  all  kinds.  One  mission  after  another 
was  established.  The  new  comers  won  the  confidence  of 
the  Savages  by  presents,  and  made  themselves  acquainted 
with  their  language  and  manners.  Among  the  Jesuits 
themselves  there  appeared  from  time  to  tine  men  of  extra- 
ordinary fortitude,  distinguished  piety,  and  mild  disposi- 
tion, who  won  the  hearts  of  the  natives.  Of  the.^e  Jr^ann 
Anton  Balthasar,  a  native  of  Lucerne,  in  Switzerland, 
became  particularly  eminent :  he  was  at  length  appointed 
chief  inspector  of  all  the  Spanish  missions,  and  at  his 
death  in  1763  he  was  Superior  of  his  order  in  the  vice- 
royalty  of  Mexico. 

With  the  gradual  increase  of  the  missions,  the  Jesuits 
attended  not  only  to  the  business  of  conversion,  but  also 
to  the  foundation  of  their  politico-commerrial  empire  in 
California.  They  took  possession  of  the  country,  to  be 
-ure.  as  a  Spanish  domain,  but  they  reserved  for  themselves 

*  He  died  there  in  IT  10, 


SPANISH    NORTH    AMKR1CA.  197 

Hie  most  important  part  of  the  advantages  accruing  from 
it.  With  the  consent  of  the  court,  the  Order  took  upon 
itself  the  administration  of  civil  and  ecclesiastical  affairs  -y 
stationed  soldiers,  levied  at  its  expense,  in  the  forts  which 
it  had  erected  for  the  protection  of  the  missionaries  and 
converts,  or  for  overawing  the  refractory  ;  appointed  and 
removed  the  officers  and  commanders  of  the  armed  force, 
and  likewise  the  civil  officers  and  judges.  The  pearl- 
fishery  remained  the  king's  ;  but  the  profits  arising  from 
agriculture  and  the  commerce  of  the  country  belonged  to 
the  Order. 

The  conversion  of  the  natives  meanwhile  proceeded 
but  slowly.  The  Savages  were  displeased  that  strangers, 
who  came  from  a  distant  country  to  seek  shelter  in  theirs, 
should  also  wish  to  deprive  them  of  the  religion  of  their 
ancestors.  "  If,1'  cried  an  Indian  priest  to  a  Spaniard, 
"  thy  God  hath  given  thee,  as  thou  sayest,  a  finer  country 
than  this,  far  away  beyond  the  sea,  why  art  thou  not 
content  with  it  ?  Return  home  !*" — One  of  tiie  mission- 
aries made  the  remark  that  wt  a  wise  Providence  hath 
given  to  the  savage  nations  mines  of  gold  and  to  the 
civilized  nations — the  thirst  of  gold.1'*  So  lately  as  the 
year  18U4,  tiie  natives,  especially  of  New  California,  were 
attached  to  the  independence  of  a  nomadic  iife.  Here, 
along  the  sea  coast,  reside  several  of  their  tribes  ;  first, 
the  Tuiban  and  Tabin,  and  farther  eastward  the  Tsholban 
and  Tamlan.  Fish,  seals,  muscles,  and  other  marine  pro- 
ductions, likewise  herbs,  roots,  and  the  produce  of  the 
chase,  arc  their  food.  They  have  no  permanent  abodes, 
nor  any  garment  in  summer  but  a  narrow  stripe  round  the 
waist.  In  winter  they  wrap  themselves  in  skins.  Their 
external  appearance  is  disagreeable  ;  they  are  rude  and 
disgustingly  filthy.  The  coarse  hair  of  their  heads  stands 
erect,  and  is  sometimes  adorned  with  the  tail-feathers  ol 
the  loriot  or  the  common  kite.  It  is  even  yet  not  "uncom- 
mon for  the  converted  Californian,  longing  after  his  former 
home  and  independence,  to  abandon  all  the  conveniences 
of  life  and  run  away.  When  this  is  the  case,  the  fugitive 
Is  immediately  pursued  ;  and  he  rarely  escapes,  because, 

*  The  nbove-raeutioned  Anton  Haithasar,  in  hid  yet  unpublished 
rtpount  of  the  mission  in  the  year  1707. 


198  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY;. 

owing  to  the  hostilities  prevailing  between  the  different 
tribes,  he  cannot  join  any  other  than  his  own.  When 
retaken  lie  is  conducted  back  to  the  mission  and  severely 
beaten,  and  a  thick  iron  bar  half  a  yard  long  is  fastened 
to  one  foot.  This  serves  to  prevent  any  further  attempt 
at  escape,  and  as  a  warning  to  his  comrades. 

Among  the  Californians  were  found  not  the  least  vestige 
of  idolatry,  no  prayers,  no  festivals,  no  altars.  They. 
nevertheless,  believe  in  an  invisible  God  and  Creator  of  all 
things  ;  but  a  different  mythology  prevailed  among  dif- 
ferent tribes.  The  Eduoos  or  Monkees,  in  the  southern 
part  of  the  peninsula,  related,  for  example,  that  Neparaya. 

•  the  Almighty,"  though  invisible  and  incorporeal,  had  a 
virgin  wife,  named  Anayicondl,  and  by  her  a  son  Quaay- 
ayp,  "man;" — that  the  latter  descended  from  heaven 
with  many  attendants  and  instructed  the  southern  nations, 
but  was  at  last  crowned  with  a  crown  of  thorns  and  put 
to  death  ; — that  he  still  continues  to  bleed,  is  not  subject 
to  corruption,  and  though,  being  dead,  he  cannot  speak, 
yet  an  owl  speaks  for  him. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  the  amazed  Jesuits  should  imagine 
that  they  discovered  in  these  notions  of  the  Californians 
faint  traces  of  Christian  revelation.  The  tribes  resident  in 
the  central  part  of  the  peninsula  likewise  tell  of  an  invisi- 
ble almighty  Gumongo,  "king  of  spirits,"  who  in  ancient, 
limes  sent  another  spirit,  Guyiaguai,  into  the  world  to 
mankind.  This  messenger  is  said  to  have  taught  men  to 
sow  pitahayas.  The  pitahaya  is  a  fruit  of  the  country, 
about  the  size  of  a  chesnut,  prickly  without,  soft  and  juicy 
within,  which  grows  on  the  leafless  branches  of  a  tree, 
and  is  the  most  common  food  of  the  inhabitants.  With 
these  notions  those  of  the  northern  Californians,  especially 
the  Koschimers,  have  a  close  affinity.     "  He  who  is  alive" 

—they  know  of  no  other  designation  for  the  Supreme  Be- 
ing— has  a  son,  "  completion  of  the  earth."  God  created 
also  invisible"' beings,  who  rebelled   against  him  and  are 

ricked. 

These  traditions,  at  any  rate,  are  remarkable  from  their 
striking   coincidence   with   many  of  the  dogmas  of  tli( 

<  'hristian  churches  and  of  the  Buddha  religions  of  die 

South  of  Asia.     The  Jesuits  found  it  a  difficult  task  to 


SPANISH    NORTH  AMERICA.  I9f« 

^mbat  them,  partly  because  the  jealousy  of  the  Califor 
nian  priests  or  sorcerers  opposed  the  diffusion  of  Chris 
tianity,  partly  because  the  language  of  the  country  lacked 
expressions  for  man*  Christian  doctrines.  When,  there- 
fore the  first  missionaries  wished  to  make  the  native  com- 
prehend the  position,  "  He  is  risen  from  the  dead" — they 
plunged  a  fly  into  water  till  it  appeared  to  beliieless,  then 
laid  it,  strewed  over  with  ashes,  in  the  sun,  where  it  pre- 
sently revived.  The  Indians  Manifested  amazement,  and 
cried  "  Ibimuhueite !  lbimuhucitc  /"  The  Fathers  imme- 
diately wrote  down  this  word,  ;md  thenceforward  employ- 
ed it  to  express  (he  resurrection  of  the  Messiah.  From 
this  single  fact  we  may  inter  what  confused  notions  of  the 
Christian  religion  the  Indians  must  have  had,  and  under 
similar  circumstances  must  still  entertain. 

After  the  suppression  >f  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits,  the 
Californian  missions,  like  .ill  the  others  in  Spanish  North 
America,  were  transit  rreu  to  the  Franciscans  and  Domini 
<ar,s,  who  pros  cuted  the  work  commenced  by  their  pre- 
decessors in  the  -ame  spirit  !-ut  with  scarcely  so  much  zeal 
and  perseverance.  In  trie  your  1820,  there  were  in  Old 
California,  or  the  southern  half  of  the  peninsula,  besides 
some  forts,  fifteen  mission  iry  settlements  along  the  coasts, 
in  which  dwelt  about  two  thousand  converted  Indians,  who 
were  dependent  on  the  clergy  and  employed  in  agriculture. 
In  New  California,  the  more  fertile  northern  part  of  the 
peninsula,  or  rather  in  the  tiact  of  coast  above  the  penin- 
sula, there  are  nineteen  such  missions,  where  reside  about 
fourteen  thousand  converted  Indians.  Six  small  forts,  with 
Spanish  garrisons  of  a  few  hundred  men,  keep  the  peoph 
in  subjection.  "  All  these  missions,"  says  Langsdorf,  in 
the  Narrative  of  his  Voyage  round  the  World  with  Krusen- 
stcrn,  in  the  years  1803  to  1807,  "have  a  superabundance 
of  cattle  and  other  provisions  of  different  kinds,  and  the 
monks  treat  the  new  converts  in  general  with  such  indul- 
gence, kindness,  and  paternal  care,  that  peace,  harmony. 
and  obedience  are  the  necessary  results  of  their  conduct- 
Disobedience  is  usually  punished  with  corporal  chastise 
merit ;  and  the  military  in  the  forts,  or  presidios,  are  em 
ployed  only  on  extraordinary  occasions,  sucl>as  the  main*. 
<Wnce  of  the  post  and  a?  a.  protection  agairrst  attack* 


£03  SURVEY    OF   CUMSTIAMTl . 

According  to  the  assurance  of  persons  entitled  to  credit 
the  court  of  Spain  is  obliged  to  furnish  one  million  piastres 
per  annum  for  the  pay  of  the  troops  and  ecclesiastics*  in 
both  Californias — an  expenditure  from  which  it  derives 
no  advantage,  but  to  which  is  attached  the  merit  of  propa- 
gating the  Christian  religion  in  those  countries." 

Defective  as  the  religious  notions  of  the  new  converts 
must  at  first  be,  still  the  efforts  of  the  Jesuits  and  their 
successors  are  entitled  to  the  grateful  acknowledgments  of 
the  world.  At  any  rate,  the  roving  natives  have  been  ac- 
customed by  them  to  stationary  abodes,  to  agricultural 
and  pastoral  occupations,  and  to  useful  arts  ;  and  even  this 
has  not  been  accomplished  without  incurring  the  severest 
sacrifices  and  manifold  dangers.  The  way  has  thus  been 
opened  and  one  step  taken  towards  the  ennobling  of  our 
race. 

Here,  however,  as  in  most  of  the  missions  of  the  monas- 
tic orders,  conversion  was  strictly  speaking  no  more  than 
the  communication  of  new  habits  not  new  convictions 
The  messengers  of  salvation  came  attended  by  soldiers  : 
if  hostilities  arise,  the  former  act  the  part  of  mediators, 
that  they  may  win  the  love  of  the  Savages  in  the  same 
proportion  as  the  warriors  excite  their  terror.  They  first 
strive  to  gain  individuals,  and  afterwards  more,  by  kind 
ness  and  by  presents  of  knives,  hatchets,  mirrors,  glass- 
beads,  &c.  They  prevail  upon  them  to  erect  huts  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  mission,  give  them  furniture  and  apparel, 
teach  them  agriculture,  the  preparation  of  tallow,  cloth- 
,\  caving,  sawing  timber,  smith's  and  carpenter's  work,  and 
all  sorts  of  handicraft  trades.  They  instruct  them  also  in 
the  Spanish  or  French  language,  teach  them  to  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross,  to  kneel,  pray,  and  tell  their  beads;  and 
administer  baptism  and  give  them  Christian  names  as  soon 
as  they  conceive  that  they  have  duly  impressed  on  the 
memory  of  the  Savages  the  doctrines  of  the  Trinity,  tlx 
death,  resurrection,  and  ascension  of  Christ,  hell  and  pur- 
gatory, the  power  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  the  efficacy  ol 
prayer,  &c. 

*  In  California  -the  yeaily  salary  of  a  missionary  xru  lire  hundred 
tiaateec 


SFAKISII   NORTH    AMERICA.  2U  I 

The  Californians,  though  rude,  are  yet  cunning  am! 
mercenary  enough  to  take  all  this  in  good  part.  They 
come  by  hundreds,  especially  when  there  is  a  dearth  of 
provisions  affect  great  docility,  submit  to  be  baptized,  and 
afterwards  run  away  in  crowds,  and  this  the  good  mission- 
aries generally  ascribe  to  tin  manoeuvres  of  Satan.  1( 
the  friars  iun  bhortof  presents,  or  are  not  in  the  humour 
to  make  presents,  or  if  the  Savages  cannot  resist  the  desire 
to  poc.«  :^s  every  thing,  sudden  attacks,  murder,  and  war 
are  the  i  ohsequences.  Hence  Torts  and  garrisons  are  indis- 
pensably requisite  for  Catholic  missions;  hence  the  main- 
tenance of  such  missions  is  always  expensive;  and  hence 
it  is  necH  sarv  t  •  establish  an  ecclesiastical  administration, 
to  which  the  ~;vil  and  military  authorities  are  subordinate. 

U  was  not  thus,  however  that  the  Gospel  was  pro- 
cl aimed  by  tno  first  disciples  of  Jesus,  or  by  their  first  dis- 
ciples  and  successors  in  the  early  ages  of  Christianity. 
With  God  in  their  hearts,  they  went  forth  boldly  and  singly, 
and  preached  and  convinced  and  ha,  lized,  without  aiming 
at  any  advantage  forthemselves  or  the  superior  authorities. 
Jn  *he  Portuguese  and  Spanish  missions,  as  soon  as  the 
Savages  have  been  somewhat  tamed  and  habituated  to 
agt  ultura!  and  other  occupations,  the  priests  fix  the 
amount  of  taxes  which  the  converted  Indians  must  pay  to 
them  ariu  to  the  sovereign  :  nay,  the  Christian  Indians  are 
doomed,  in  obedience  to  their  new  religion,  to  labour  for 
a  certain  period  in  the  royal  mines!  In  truth,  it  was  the 
king  lorn  of  monarehs  and  priests  alone  that  they  long 
strove  to  extend,  and  afterwards  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  but 
the  latter  only  as  a  mean  or  pretext  for  the  former, 


202  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE     SPANISH    AND     PORTUGUESE     POSSESSIONS     IN     SOUTH 

AMERICA EMPIKE    OP    Tilt:    JESUITS    ON    THE  URAGUAY 

SLOW    PROGRESS    OF    CHRISTIANITY  OF    LATE    YEARS. 

The  general  observations  with  which  the  last  chapter 
concludes  may  b^  applied  to  the  greater  part  of  the  mis- 
sions in  South  America.  Every  one  is  acquainted  with 
the  spirit  manifested  by  the  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
governments  in  t.ieir  European  dominions  ;  the  antipathy 
of  their  courts  to  the  improvements  introduced  by  art  and 
science  in  other  countries  ;  their  fear  of  more  enlightened 
views  ;  their  partiality  to  the  nobles  ;  tuen  neglect  of  the 
people  and  ot  popdkr  instruction  ;  the  power  of  the  priest- 
hood in  numberless  churches  and  convents,  ai  .neti  with  the 
terrors  of  the  Inquisition  ;  the  persecution  of  every  friend 
of  truth  and  illuiniuation.  tleiice  it  is  easy  to  infer  what 
must  have  been  tne  administration  of  the  American  colo- 
nies, which  were  treated  only  as  gold-mines  tor  the  court, 
for  the  noble  f  itnihes  who  were  to  be  provided  with  places, 
and  for  the  priests  and  friars. 

Hence  it  was  that,  after  the  labour  of  centuries,  the 
Christian  religion  gamed  but  little  ground  amougthe  Indian 
tribes,  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the  late  Spanish 
dominions,  from  the  isthmus  01  Panama  to  Terra  del 
Fuego.  It  was  a  considerable  tune  indeed  before  the 
conquerors  of  the  New  World  could  be  induced  to  regard 
the  Indians  as  human  beings.  What  difficulty  did  the 
philanthropic  Las  Casas  find  to  demonstrate  this!  and 
what  scorn  and  hatred  did  this  pious  bishop  of  Chiapa 
incur  for  his  pains!  Was  not  Pope  iJaul  ill.  obliged, 
in  his  bull  of  the  2d  of  June,  1537,  to  declare  solemnly 
tha*  the  Americans  were  really  men,  and  consequently 
capable  of  the  Catholic  faith  and  sacraments  ? — veros 
homines,  Jidei  caikolicce  et  sacramentorum  capaces. 

in  the  three  late  Spanish  viceroyaiues  of  Aew  Granada, 
Peru,  and  La  Plata,  and  in  the  captain-generalships  of. 


SPANISH  SOUTH    AMERICA.  20 

Caraccas,  (Venezuela,)  and  Chile,  there  were  certainty 
many  Indians,  living  as  Christians  in  towns,  mines,  or  vil- 
lages of  their  own  ;  but  by  far  the  greater  part  of  them 
were  relics  of  the  conquered  natives,  descendants  of  the 
first  captives,  mestizos  of  all  sorts,  sprung  from  intermar- 
riages between  Europeans,  Indians,  Negroes,  and  their 
children.*  They  were  mostly  rude,  poor,  ignorant,  and 
devoted  to  servitude.  Such  of  the  Indians  as  were  not 
kept  in  the  towns  it  was  customary  to  banish  to  particular 
places  which  they  durst  not  leavewithout  permission.  One 
of  their  Caciques  was  generally  appointed  to  superintend 
tiiem.  Land  was  allotted  to  them  for  raising  provisions. 
They  were  employed  in  public  works,  the  mines,  6cr, 
The  law,  it  is  true,  assigned  them  pay,  but  through  the 
rapacity  of  their  overseers  they  rarely  received  the  whole 
and  often  nothing  at  all.  They  had,  moreover,  to  pay 
taxes,  one- fourth  of  which  was  allotted  to  the  Cacique 
that  he  might  collect  them  with  the  greater  rigour. 

Such  nearly  was  the  lot  of  all  those  Indians  of  the  inde- 
pendent tribes,  who  were  converted  to  Christianity  by 
missionary  monks  and  priests.  Is  it  then  surprising  that 
the  proud  and  free  children  of  Nature  should  shrink  with 
horror  from  such  effects  of  the  religion  of  Christ  ? 

There  were  it  is  true  free  Indians  also  who  professed 
the  Christian  faith.  These  were  such  as,  though  inde- 
pendent, yet  in  daily  intercourse  with  the  Spaniards  had 
adopted  words  of  their  language,  ceremonies  of  their 
ritual,  and  more  or  less  of  their  manners.  But  these, 
though  they  are  baptized,  carry  rosaries  and  amulets,  and 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross,  scarcely  deserve  the  appellation 
of  Christians.  They  retain  their  ancient  heathen  notions 
unimpaired  ;  and  the  Peruvian,  with  his  Christian  baptis 
mal  name,  still  worships  the  sun,  as  in  the  days  of  Pizarro. 

*  The  Spaniards  reckon  ekven  gradations  of  the  mixed  blood,  namely  . 
Mestizos,  children  of  a  European  and  an  Indian  woman  ;  Quarterones, 
children  of  a  European  and  a  Mestiza  ;  Ochavones,  children  of  a  Euro- 
pean and  a  Quarterona;  Pult  hueles,  children  of  a  European  and  an  Ocba- 
vona  ;  children  of  an  Indian  and  a  Pulchuela  are  like  the  Spaniards  : 
Mulatos,  children  of  a  Eui  opean  and  a  Negro  woman  ;  Quarterones, 
<  hildren  of  a  European  and  a  Mulatto  woman  ;  Saltatrds,  children  of  a 
^uart-ron  and  a  European  M.oman  ;  Calpan  mulatos,  children  of  a  Mu- 
latto and  an  Indian  woman  ;  Chinos,  children  of  a  Calpan  mulatto  and 
an  Indian  woman  ;  Zambos  or  Zambajosi  all  the  children  of  Black*  am' 
Indian  women. 


204  SURVEY  OF  ClIlirSTIANlTY. 

The  Spanish  missioneros  form  in  general  the  lowest 
order  of  the  clergy.  There  have  never  been  wanting  men 
who,  from  inward  piety,  or  from  the  duty  of  obedience, 
or  because  they  were  glad  to  escape  monastic  restraint, 
have  cheerfully  undertaken  the  functions  of  missionaries. 
Most  of  them,  however,  were  extremely  ignorant  and  su- 
perstitious ;  unacquainted  with  the  world  and  the  human 
heart ;  regarding  empty  ceremonies  as  religion,  and  having 
all  their  ideas  infected  with  monastic  prejudices.  Even 
the  better  educated  Jesuiis,  who  came  from  Europe, 
could  not  wholly  divest  themselves  of  these  prejudices. 
Hence  they  considered  all  that  they  heard  of  the  religious 
systems  of  the  Indians  as  the  work  of  the  devil,  and  repre- 
sented it  in  the  false  light  in  which  they  themselves  beheld 
it.  The  national  god  of  the  Abiponcs,  Keebet,  the 
invisible,  the  terrible,  was  taken  for  the  real  devil  by  \\\t; 
learned  Father  Dobrizhorfer  himself;  and  because  the 
Abiponcs  or  Mepones,  who  rove  about  on  horseback  in 
the  immense  pampas  or  plains,  between  the  Rio  Grande 
Vrermejo,  the  Rio  Salad  >,  and  La  Plata,  call  their  god 
(Iroaperikie,  "  ancestor,"'  the  Jesuit  made  no  scruple  to 
assert  that  the  Abipones  looked  upon  Satan  as  their 
grandfather. 

The  Savages,  by  means  of  their  sound  understanding, 
frequently  judged  much  more  accurately  of  the  Europeans 
than  the  Europeans  of  the  Savages.  They  saw  them 
■steeped  in  vices  from  which  the  child  of  Nature  recoils  witli 
horror,  and  could  not  reconcile  the  pious  precepts  of  the 
missioneros  with  this  prodigious  depravity  of  manners. 
-;  Wherefore  comest  thou  to  us,  fatlier  ?"  said  an  Abiponc 
one  day  to  DobrizhofTer  :  "  why  dost  thou  not  first  make 
Christians  of  thy  Spanish  brethren?" — "  Thou  forbiddest 
:is   to   have   more   than    one    wifeJ'   said  Ychoalay,    the 

•  •acique,  to  Father  Brigniel — "  are  not  the  Spaniards 
Christians  ? — and  yet  they  are  not  content  with  one  wife. 
They  do  much  worse  than  we.  They  shamelessly  attack 
any  woman  they  meet,  when  their  desires  are  excited. 
The  Christians,  thou  tellest  us,  ou^ht  not  to  steal.  Very 
true  :  a  man  ought  not,  though  no  Christian.  Why  then 
do  thy  Spaniards  come  and  steal  our  horses,  nay,  even 

•  > 1 1 r  young  boys  and  girls,  and  drag  them  away  into 
slavery  '" 


SPANISH   SOUTH    AMERICA.  -05 

With  the  prevalence  of  such  sentiments  among  the 
lavages  of  South  America,  and  with  the  recollection  of 
the  horrible  cruelties  perpetrated  by  the  Spaniards  in  the 
conquest  of  the  country — cruelties  which  are  transmitted 
in  traditions  and  songs  from  race  to  race — the  very  name 
of  Christian  has  become  and  continues  to  be  a  term  of 
execration  among  numberless  independent  tribes  of  that 
continent  ;  and  hatred,  fear,  and  abhorrence  of  it  are 
perpetuated  from  generation  to  generation. 

The  Jesuits,  by  their  courage,  prudence,  and  perse 
verance,  were  more  successful  than  any  of  the  othe: 
Orders  in  making  conquests  in  the  territories  of  the  free 
Indians  for  the  Catholic  faith.  These  conquests,  however, 
as  it  is  well  known,  ultimately  proved  to  be  no  real  gain 
either  for  humanity,  or  for  Christianity,  or  for  the  crown  of 
Spain.  In  our  survey  of  California  we  have  seen  the 
manner  in  which  this  Order  treated  the  savages  and  ex- 
ercised the  calling  of  missionaries  there  :  we  meet  with 
the  same  system  in  South  America  ;  but  there,  and  par- 
ticularly in  the  provinces  of  Paraguay,  it  was  prosecuted 
with  much  more  signal  success. 

So  far  back  as  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Order  sent 
many  of  its  members  to  the  southern  as  well  as  to  the 
northern  half  of  the  New  World,  to  preach  the  kingdom 
of  God.  These  undaunted  men,  ever  disposed  to  im- 
portant enterprises,  from  motives  of  religion  or  ambition, 
dispersed  themselves  among  the  Indians.  Though  many 
of  them  were  put  to  death  by  the  Savages,  out  of  hatred 
to  the  Spaniards  and  Portuguese,  yet  more  followed,  un- 
armed, with  merely  the  gentle  words  of  peace  and  love 
upon  their  lips.  Thus  did  they  gradually  inspire  the 
ferocious  Indians  with  confidence,  and  gain  their  good 
will  by  presents.  The  Jesuit  could  at  last  traverse  the 
wilderness  unmolested,  and  control  by  words  and  gestures 
hordes  which  the  Portuguese  and  Spanish  soldier  durst  not 
encounter. 

In  order,  however,  to  confer  on  the  Savages  the  benefit 
of  more  sublime  ideas,  it  was  requisite  to  bind  them  in 
some  measure  to  permanent  abodes,  and  to  communicate 
to  them,  with  the  arts  of  agriculture  and  social  life,  at 
least  the  civilization  of  semi-barbarians.  The  Jesuits 
18 


ZQ6  survey  or  Christianity. 

settled  among  them;  they  prevailed  on  individuals  to' 
reside  near  them,  instructed  the  children,  and  by  gifts 
ingratiated  themselves  with  the  adults.  Thus  Indian 
villages  sprang  up  amid  deserts,  and  churches  by  the  side 
of  huts.  The  missionaries  then  began  to  talk  of  sacred 
things,  to  impart  instruction  in  Christianity,  and  to  admin- 
ister baptism.  Such  was  the  origin  of  most  of  the 
missions  in  New  Granada,  La  Plata,  Peru,  Venezuela,  and 
the  other  provinces.  Many  excellent  men  of  the  Society 
of  Jesus  might  here  be  mentioned,  who,  impelled  by  pure 
philanthropy,  first  opened  the  way  into  those  wilds  for 
Christianity  and  humanity.  How  important  were  the 
services  of  Father  Deere,  the  apostle  of  the  Yameos,  ltu- 
balees,  and  lnquiavats,  alone,  who  made  Cuenza  in 
Quito  the  central  point  of  a  widely  operating  mission, 
over  which  he  was  still  presiding  with  credit  in  the  year 
1727;  who  translated  books  of  Christian  instruction  for 
the  Savages  in  eighteen  of  their  dialects  ;  and  sent  forth 
the  new  converts,  whom,  with  truly  Christian  affection  he 
protected  from  oppression,  to  be  apostles  of  Jesus  among 
their  countrymen  ! 

Between  the  rivers  Paraguay  and  Uraguay,  along  the 
banks  of  the  Parana  and  Bermejo,  the  disciples  of  Loyola 
selected  the  widest  theatre  of  their  operations.  More 
numerous  and  more  successful  here  than  in  any  other 
quarter,  they  extended  their  settlements  among  the  Guara- 
nees,  Charruas,  Chiquitos,  and  other  savage  tribes  of 
Rio  de  la  Plata,  Paraguay,  Tucuman,  and  Tarja.  Inva- 
riable humanity,  kindness,  and  prudence  achieved  more 
than  arms  could  have  accomplished.  European  culture 
soon  embellished  the  environs  of  the  missions ;  the 
wretched  huts  and  chapels  constructed  of  poles  and 
boughs  of  trees  gave  place  to  walled  houses,  at  first  built 
of  earth  and  afterwards  of  stone.  The  villages  assumed 
from  the  breadth  and  regularity  of  their  streets,  the  ap- 
pearance of  towns.  The  churches  in  each  village,  lofty 
handsome  structures,  with  steeples  containing  four  or  five 
bells,  were  provided  with  organs,  and  adorned  with  richly 
gilt  high-altars,  silver  utensils,  and  many  images.  A 
pompous  service  made  a  powerful  impression  on  tin 
senses  of  the  astonished  Savages.     They  were  taught  tr 


SPANISH   SOUTH    AMERICA.  207 

sing  and  to  play  on  all  sorts  of  musical  instruments  ;  they 
were  instructed  also  in  masons'  and  carpenters'  work, 
watch-making,  and  other  useful  arts.  The  business  of  the 
day,  from  the  first  hour  to  the  last,  was  allotted  among  the 
inhabitants  of  each  place  and  performed  with  as  much 
accuracy  as  in  a  convent.  The  Jesuits  contemplated 
their  creation  with  pride  and  pleasure.  Such  was  its 
state  so  early  as  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century  ; 
and  we  have  an  account  of  it  in  the  Travels,  in  1692,  of 
Father  Anton  Sepp,  who  was  called  thither  from  the 
Tirol  to  undertake  the  cure  of  souls  in  the  tribe  of  the 
Japeyoos. 

The  Jesuits  now  established  here  such  a  form  of  govern- 
ment as  might  be  expected  of  monks,  and  as  they  would 
fain  give  at  this  day  to  the  whole  world,  if  the  times  were 
not  more  powerful  than  they.  The  character  of  the  tribe* 
on  the  Paraguay  ami  Uraguay  favoured  their  plan.  The 
Guaranees  and  other  Indians  of  these  parts  were  previously 
more  or  less  disposed  to  a  theocracy  by  the  religion  of  the 
sun  which  prevailed  under  the  Inea-  ;  and  their  manner* 
were  comparatively  mild.  By  auricular  confession  the 
theocracy  was  rendered  more  complete  than  it  could  be 
in  the  time  of  the  hn*as.  The  priest  was  made  acquainted 
with  the  most  secret  thoughts  of  the  members  of  his  flock. 
The  Indians,  without  any  noiion  of  private  property,  ac- 
customed to  a  community  of  goods,  suffered  without  hesi- 
tation all  the  land  and  the  produce  of  labour  to  be  divided 
into  three  parts  :  one  for  the  Church,  or,  as  Father  Char- 
levoix calls  it,  "  the  property  of  God  ;"  one  for  the  public 
use  ;  and  the  third  for  individuals.  "  Ever)  thing,"  says 
Raynal,  "  that  was  admired  in  the  legislation  of  the  Incas 
was  revived,  but  in  a  more  perfect  form,  in  the  ecclesias- 
tical state  of  Paraguay  :  labour  for  the.  aged,  orphans  and 
soldiers  ;  reward  of  good  actions  ;  superintendence  over 
morals  and  military  exercises;  ordinances  against  indo- 
lence ;  reverence  for  religion,  virtue,  and  the  servants  ol 
God. 

Money  was  here  unknown,  and  yet  more  conveniences, 
nay,  even  more  luxury,  were  to  be  found  in  the  missions 
of  the  Jesuits  than  at  Cusco  and  Lima,  the  capitals  of 
Peru.     Watch-makers,  cabinet-makers,  goldsmiths,  lock 


^08  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

smiths,  tailors,  &c.  deposited  their  goods  in  the  public 
warehouses  of  the  priests,  and  were  supplied  with  other 
necessaries  in  their  stead.  For  them  the  husbandman  had 
sown,  for  them  the  weaver  made  his  cloth.  They  all 
formed  oi:e  great  family  with  an  undivided  property  :  and 
ail  paid  obedience  with  a  child-like  spirit  The  Jesuits 
were  the  fathers  of  the  family,  the  teachers,  the  merchants, 
the  military  commanders,  the  rulers!  Each  Jesuit,  in  his 
parish,  was  the  ecclesiastical  and  temporal  superior,  inde- 
pendent of  the  rest,  subordinate  to  the  Provincial  alone, 
and  the  latter  to  the  Genera!  of  the  Order. 

At  first  precautions  were  \ery  properly  taken  to  exclude 
Spaniards  from  these  colonies,  that  their  dissolute  way  of 
life  might  not  scandalize  the  n*.w  converts,  or  prevent 
other  Indian  tribes  from  embracing  Christianity.  The 
same  pretext  was  subsequently  made  the  means  of  con- 
cealing the  arrangements  of  the  state  founded  by  the  Je- 
suits from  the  courts  of  Spain  and  Portugal.  By  engag- 
ing to  pay  into  the  exchequer  a  yearly  poll-tax  for  con- 
verted Indians,  th^v  obtained  a  royal  edict  prohibiting 
Spaniards  from  entering  the  district  of  the  missions  with- 
out leave  of  the  Jesuits.  For  this  ourpose  they  had  posts 
and  kept  strict  watch  on  the  frontiers.  No  stranger  was 
admitted.  The  governors  and  bishops,  when  they  held 
visitations,  which  were  of  very  rare  occurrence,  were  so 
overwhelmed  with  demonstrations  of  respect,  entertain- 
ments, and  presents,  that  they  could  do  no  other  than  make 
the  most  favourable  reports.  Two  visitation  books  were 
moreover  kept,  one  for  the  bishops,  the  other  for  the  Pro- 
',  incials. 

To  seal  up  this  Jesuit  empire  more  hermetically,  the 
Spanish  language  was  prohibited  in  the  colonies  and  the 
Guaranee  alone  spoken.  Of  the  Spanish  Jesuits  well- 
,'ried members  only  were  admitted  into  the  country;  French 
and  German  were  preferred.  On  the  separation  of  Por- 
tugal from  Spain,  in  1640,  the  Jesuits  took  advantage  ot 
f  his  event,  to  apply  to  the  court  of  Madrid  for  fire-arms  to 
defend  themselves  against  the  Portuguese,  who  retained 
possession  of  Brazil.  They  modelled  their  military  sys- 
■em  after  that  of  Europe  ;  formed  regiments  and  compa- 
res, infantry  and  cavalry,    They  built  forts,  called  dactri- 


SPANISH   SOUTH    AMERICA.  209 

nas,  where  one  or  two  Jesuits  held  arbitrary  command. 
They  assigned  to  each  fort  a  certain  tract  of  land,  for  the 
subsistence  of  the  garrison.  The  court  of  Spain  furnished 
neither  money,  clothing,  nor  arms. 

Thus  did  the  Fathers  of  the  Society  of  Jesus,  upon  pre- 
text of  spreading  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  secure  for  them- 
selves a  flourishing  earthly  kingdom;  and  they  endeavoured 
with  equal  courage  and  prudence  to  strengthen  and  extend 
it.  It  was  not  without  danger  and  even  the  death  of  many 
of  their  members,  several  of  whom  Dobrizhoffer  mentions 
as  martyrs,  that  they  erected  this  New  State.  In  1729  it 
comprised  thirty  settlements  or  reductions,  as  they 
termed  them,  fifteen  of  which  containing  62,263  souls, 
were  situated  on  the  river  Parana,  and  fifteen,  with  69,405 
inhabitants,  on  the  Uraguay.  There  were,  besides,  seve- 
ral missions  on  the  rivers  Paraguay  and  Bermejo  not 
included  in  this  enumeration. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that,  if  animal  well-being  is  the 
supreme  good  of  mankind,  the  whole  was  cleverly  plan- 
ned and  judiciously  executed.  But  the  subject  of  the 
Jesuits  was  merely  a  trained  human  brute — nothing  more. 
Every  higher  thought,  every  indication  of  independence  of 
mind,  were  carefully  suppressed  as  incitements  to  sin. 
The  Indians  were  enlightened  only  just  so  much  as  was 
advantageous  to  their  priestly  rulers,  who  took  good  care 
to  keep  aloof  from  them  all  notions  which  could  cause 
them  to  overstep  the  circle  that  was  marked  out  for  them. 
Implicit  obedience  was  a  fundamental  duty  with  the  In- 
dians, as  in  the  Order.  Whoever  had  committed  a  fault 
went  to  the  priest,  solicited  deserved  punishment  at  his  feet, 
and  gratefully  kissed  the  hand  which  had  chastised  him. 
Here  was  found,  through  habit,  superstition,  piety,  igno- 
rance, and  civil  institutions,  a  moral  slavery  such  as  the 
world  never  beheld  elsewhere,  but  in  convents.  The  land 
of  the  Jesuit  missions  might  in  fact  be  considered  as  a  sin- 
gle  convent,  and  each  of  the  reductions  as  a  cell  peopled 
with  men  whose  childish  ignorance  yielded  to  every  impres- 
sion; whose  savage  character  was  softened  on  the  one  hand 
by  the  terrors  of  superstition,  the  pomp  of  the  new  wor- 
ship, the  power  of  habit,  the  omniscience  of  the  priests. 

leightened  bv  confession,  and  on  the  other  hand  bv  free 
18* 


•ilO  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY, 

dom  from  care  and  the  enjoyment  of  so  many  conve- 
niences of  life.  The  priest  in  the  reduction  was  the 
chief  governor,  the  interpreter  of  God,  the  instructor,  the 
steward,  the  military  commander,  the  physician,  the  judge, 
the  legislator,  and  the  adviser  of  all.  He  directed  the 
affairs  of  families  as  he  pleased.  It  was  even  so  arranged 
that  the  female  selected  herself  a  husband,  not  the  man  a 
bride.  Thus,  if  an  Indian  girl  was  desirous  to  marry,  she 
repaired  to  the  Father  of  the  reduction  and  acquainted  him 
with  her  inclination  ;  and,  if  he  approved  it,  he  sent  for 
the  man  of  her  choice,  and  informed  him  of  his  lot,  which 
he  seldom  refused.  Father  Sepp  himself,  in  his  account 
of  the  country,  expresses  his  surprise  at  this  extraordinary 
custom,  through  which  maidens  and  wives  were  attached 
by  the  tenderest  secrets  of  their  hearts  to  the  venerable 
Fathers  of  the  Order. 

Thus  there  prevailed,  it  is  true,  in  this  republic,  a  tran- 
quillity, a  harmony,  an  obedience,  and  an  order,  not  to  be 
found  in  any  other  state  in  the  world.  Charlevoix,  in  his 
time — the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century — might 
justly  boast,  that  "  here  were  no  complaints,  no  law-suits — 
nay,  that  the  meum  and  tuum  were  wholly  unknown."— 
There  was  nothing  but  praying  and  labour,  silent  obe 
dience  and  mental  poverty. 

The  existence  of  this  empire  of  the  Jesuits  was  long 
kept  secret  from  the  courts  of  Spain  and  Portugal.  The 
viceroy,  Martino  de  Barrua,  indeed  transmitted  to  his 
•ourt,  in  1730,  alarming  accounts  respecting  it.  Indivi- 
dual authors  had  treated  of  it  without  reserve  ;  but  the 
confessors  at  Lisbon  and  Madrid  had  no  difficulty  to  pacify 
the  apprehensions  of  the  sovereigns  ;  Jesuit  writers  repre- 
sented the  statements  of  the  babblers  as  the  calumnies  of 
envy  ;  nay,  they  induced  Muratori  himself,  though  a 
stranger  to  them,  to  become  their  panegyrist,  by  furnishing 
him,  through  Father  Cataneo,  with  the  materials  for  his 

elebrated  work  :  and  by  the  persecutions  which  they 
drew  upon  Ferdinand  de  Cardena,  bishop  of  Paraguay, 
when,  towards  the  conclusion  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
he  set  about  stricter  inquiries  concerning  the  Christian 

ongregations  on  the  Parana  and  Uruguay,  they  deterred 
others  from  following  his  example. 

A  treaty,  concluded  in   1750.  between  the  courts  Oi 


SPANISH    SOUTH    AMERICA.  211 

Lisbon  and  Madrid,  respecting  the  boundaries  of  theii 
Colonies  in  South  \  nerica,  iceid  en  tally  revealed  the 
secret  and  frustrated  all  the  schemes  of  the  Loyolites.  In 
drawing  right  lines  the  negotiators  did  not  spare  the 
country  of  the  missions,  but  parted  it  in  such  a  manner 
that  many  of  the  reductions  fell  to  th<  share  of  Brazil. 
In  vain  did  the  venerabh  Fathers  in  Europe  strive  to 
prevent  the  executi  ri\  of  tl  i  treity.  The  commissioners 
appointed  by  both  powers  made  their  appearance  (in 
17) J).  I'he  country  »f  the  m  «sionaries  was  in  arms 
against  them.  Troops  were  senl  to  reduce  the  Indians, 
but  met  with  so  obstinate  a  res  stance  that  they  could 
effect  nothing.  The  Jesuits  protested  that  this  was  not 
their  fault,  that  they  were  una  >le  to  appease  the  fury  of 
the  Indians.  If  was  however  appease  1,  when  the  Spanish 
and  Portuguese  commanders,  having  received  reinforce- 
ments." marched  with  then*  united  armies  against  the 
reductions,  and  in  February.  1756,  defeated  the  Indians 
in  a  pitched  battle,  in  which  the  latter  lost  tweive  hundred 
men,  and  many  pieces  of  cannon  and  colours.  \  he 
boundaries  were  adjusted  :  soon  afterwards  the  Order  was 
suppressed  ;  the  Jesuits  in  Paraguay  disappeared,  and  not 
an  Indian  again  drew  a  sword  in  their  behalf. 

When  the  Jesuits  quitted  their  missions,  in  1757,  they 
had,  according  to  the  accurate  statement  of  Dobrizhoffer, 
thirteen  on  the  Parana  and  nineteen  on  the  Uraguay. 
The  former  were  inhabited  in  the  year  1732  by  57,G49 
persons,  the  latter  by  83,533  ;  but  at  the  departure  of  the 
Jesuits  the  total  population  scarcely  amounted  to  one 
hundred  thousand.  War,  the  small-pox,  and  other  diseases, 
had  swept  away  great  numbers  of  people.  In  the  ten 
colonies  among  the  Chiquitos,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
La  Plata,  towards  the  frontiers  of  Peru,  there  were  (in 
17G6)  23,780  converted  Indians,  and  in  the  colonies 
among  the  Chakos,  on  the  Rio  Bermejo,  there  were  at 
the  same  time  5424  Christians,  or  at  least  baptized 
persons. 

After  the  suppression  of  the  Order  of  Loyola,  little 
worth  recording  was  heard  from  the  Spanish  and  Portu- 
guese missions  in  South  America  ;  but  frequent  complaints 
were  made  against  the  missionaries  of  the  Order  of  Do 


212  SURVEY   OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

minicans  or  Capuchins,  that  they  carried  on  a  considerable 
contraband  trade  on  the  frontiers,  and  that  they  found 
means  to  compel  the  Indians  to  cultivate  their  lands 
without  lawful  compensation,  or  to  purchase  of  them 
amulets,  rosaries,  crucifixes,  and  other  religious  wares, 
at  exorbitant  prices. 

Thus  the  immense  steppes,  plains,  or  pampas,  and  the 
Highlands  in  the  interior  of  South  America,  southward 
as  far  as  Terra  del  Fuego,  the  land  of  the  good-natured ' 
Pesherays,  are  still  abandoned  to  heathenism.  The  in- 
surrection of  the  colonies  against  the  Spanish  sceptre, 
and  the  sanguinary  war  of  independence,  which  has  raged 
from  the  river  La  Plata  to  Darien,  have  almost  entirely  de- 
stroyed the  missions.  The  ancient  missions  at  St. 
Michael  and  Santa  Teresa  de  Mayhures,  on  the  Oronoko, 
those  on  the  river  Patumayu  and  the  mighty  Maranham, 
and  mfiny  along  the  La  Plata  and  the  Uraguay,  lie  ne- 
glected, and  others  have  been  burnt.  The  Abipones, 
the  cruel  Tobas,  the  independent  inhabitants  of  the  moun- 
tains and  forests  of  Peru,  and  the  yet  unsubdued  tribes,  by 
whatever  names  they  may  be  called,  who  cherish  an  he- 
reditary abhorrence  of  the  Spanish  and  Christian  name, 
rejoiced  at  these  convulsions,  which  served  to  secure  their 
freedom  ;  and  many  of  the  converted  tribes  again  became 
Savages,  with  the  warring  Europeans,  whom  they  alter- 
nately assisted  and  harassed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

SURVEY    OF    BRASIL    AND    GUIANA. 

John  VI.  the  late  King  of  Portugal,  who  in  1807  made 
Rio  Janeiro,  the  capital  of  Brasil,  his  residence,  excited  bv 
his  presence  great  hopes  of  improvement  in  the  countries 
of  South  America  subject  to  his  sceptre.  It  is  well  known 
how  peremptorily  he  decided  against  the  introduction  of 
'lie  Inquisition  :  how  he  promised  the  gradual  abolition  of 


BRASIL GUIANA. 


213 


lie  ave-tratle  in  his  dominions,  and  opposed  the  restora- 
ion  of  th»>  Order  of  the  Jesuits.  It  is  well  known  with 
what  ti  be  ra[Uy  he  favoured  (since  181^  European  emi- 
grants and  settlers,  tor  the  purpose  of  strengthening  and 
pro, noting  the  prosperity  of  his  American  dominions. 
The  latter,  however,  under  the  government  o  f  his  eldest 
son,  Pedro,  who  assumed  the  title  of  Emperor  of  Brasil, 
advances  but  slowly.  The  multitude  prefers  indepen- 
dence in  North  America,  where  every  sect  builds  i-tself  a 
church  unmolested,  while  in  Brasil  the  Catholic  com- 
munion is  the  only  one  in  which  it  is  possible  to  gain  salva- 
tion. Pros-Stan's  are  tolerated,  it  is  true,  if  they  but 
abstain  from  a  public  profession  of  ther  religious  tenets. 
Toleration,  howexer,  is  but  a  small  an*  i^ecarious  boon, 
depending  on  the  will  and  life  of  a   single  individual. 

The  diffusion  of  the  Romish  faith  among  the  aboriginal 
inhabitants  is  still  prosecuted,  as  of  old,  rather  as  an 
official  duty  than  from  inward  impulse.  The  missions  of 
the  Jesuits  on  the  Toncantines  and  Rio  Doca,  on  the 
Maranham  and  the  Rio  Xegro,  as  far  as  the  frontiers  of 
Peru,  still  subsist  They  are  supplied  by  other  friars. 
Their  success  is  not  brilliant.  By  tar  the  greater  part  of 
the  Indians  dwelling  among  the  Europeans,  nay,  many  of 
the  numerous  Negroes,  know  nothing  of  Christianity. 
They  live  peaceably  in  the  worship  of  the  deities  of 
their  ancestors.  It  is  more  curious  than  unaccountable 
that  Portuguese  and  Spaniards  should  rather  tolerate 
heathen  among  them  tlian  Protestant  Christians,  or  wor- 
shippers of  the  true  God  according  to  the  Mosaic  law. 

The  neighbouring  country  of  Guiana  has  been  in  later 
times  more  neglected,  if  possible,  than  Brasil,  in  regard  to 
the  civilization  of  its  inhabitants.  The  French  and  Dutch 
settlers  along  the  coast  were  content  to  overawe  with  arms 
the  martial  tribes  of  the  original  inhabitants,  or  to  conciliate 
them  by  annual  presents,  that  they  might  raise  in  security 
their  sugar,  coffee,  indigo  roucou,  cotton,  and  spices.  For- 
merly more  paii  s  were  taken,  especially  in  the  French  pos- 
sessions, to  enlighten  the  Indians  by  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel.  But  the  seed  sown  by  the  first  missionaries  after- 
wards degenerated,  or  ran  wild,  or  wholly  perished.  The 
Caribbees  still  retain  a  tradition  founded  on  the  Christian 


214  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

doctrine  that  the  Supreme  Being  sent  his  son  from  Heaven 
to  kill  a  prodigious  serpent ;  after  the  conquest  of  the 
monster  there  issued  from  its  bowels  worms,  each  of 
which  generated  a  male  and  female  Carib.  What  absurd 
notions  must  the  Christian  missionaries  have  frequently 
implanted  with  their  dogmas  in  the  minds  of  their  convert- 
ed Savages! 

Their  own  ideas  of  divine  things  are  often  far  more 
rational  than  the  misconceived  doctrines  which  they  have 
derived  from  Christian  priests.  "  The  Indians  of  these 
countries,"  says  the  anonymous  author  of  Travels  in 
Guiana  and  Cayenne,  "  silly  and  childish  as  their  other 
notions  may  be,  nevertheless  believe  that  the  Supreme 
Being,  who  bestows  on  them  all  they  need,  is  too  exalted 
to  accept  presents  and  offerings  from  men,  and  too 
bountiful  to  require  prayers  and  solicitations."  They  are 
no  strangers  to  ihe  immortality  of  the  soul :  but  we  are 
acquainted,  and  that  most  imperfectly,  with  the  religious 
ideas  of  very  few  of  the  tribes  contiguous  to  the  Euro- 
peans ;  the  Indians  beyond  the  mountains  are  mostly 
unknown  to  us  even  by  name. 

Since  the  Revolution,  the  functions  and  occupations  of 
the  missionaries  nave  almost  ceased  in  the  French  settle- 
ments. They  hid  previously  been  performed  by  Jesuits, 
and  subsequently  by  other  monastic  Orders.  In  Dutch 
Guiana  infinitely  less  had  been  done  from  the  first  for  the 
diffusion  of  Christianity.  The  indolent,  voluptuous,  and 
tyrannical  planters  cared  but  Little  for  the  propagation  of  a 
faith,  which  had  struck  such  scanty  root  in  their  own 
minds.  Stedman's  account  of  Surinam  exposed  the 
hideous  atrocity  of  those  scarcely  human  colonists,  slave- 
drivers,  and  traders.  They  would  not  do  the  least  even  for 
their  own  \egroes,  whom  they  treated  as  brutes;  and  the 
few  Protestant  ministers  at  Paramaribo,  Berbice,  and 
Essequebo,  were  too  dependent  and  under  too  much 
restraint  to  perform  more  than  the  most  urgent  of  their 
pastoral  duties  demanded.  The  United  Brethren  alone 
have  exerted  themselves  here  with  zeal  since  the  year 
1 730.  They  first  formed  a  small  congregation  at  Para- 
maribo, where  they  supported  themselves  by  th»  labour  of 
their  hands  ;  then  founded,  with  some  baptized  Indians, 
the  mission  of  Sharon,  on  the  Sarameka,  in  1757,  likewise 


GUIANA.  2l£ 

that  of  Hope,  on  the  river  Corentyn  in  1735,  and  others 
near  the  sources  of  the  Sarameka,  at  Quarna,  among  the 
Free  Negroes  in  1 7G5,  and  at  Berbice.  Their  labours 
here,  however,  seem  not  to  have  been  productive  of  im- 
portant results. 

Since  the  English  made  themselves  masters,  in  1801. 
of  the  principal  Dutch  and  French  settlements  in  Guiana, 
greater  attention  has  been  paid  to  these  parts  by  the  British 
missionaries.  Two  new  missions  have  been  established, 
since  1807,  at  Sommelsdyk  and  Demerara,  and  provided 
with  printed  Bibles.  The  Jews  of  Surinam  alone  pur- 
chased a  considerable  number,  because  in  their  syna- 
gogues they  use  the  Dutch  translation  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament. 

In  the  year  1823  the  mission  of  the  London  Missionary 
Society  in  Demerara  became  a  subject  of  painful  interest 
to  the  whole  British  nation,  in  consequence  of  an  insur- 
rection among  the  slaves  belonging  to  the  plantation 
called  Resouvenir,  where  Mr.  Smith,  the  missionary, 
resided.  The  causes  and  the  consequences  of  that  com- 
motion are  too  well  known  to  every  reader  to  need  repe 
tition  here  :  suffice  it  to  state,  that  Smith  was  charged 
with  having  instigated  the  Blacks  to  violence,  tried  by 
martial  law,  and  sentenced  to  death.  The  royal  remission 
of  that  sentence,  the  extreme  injustice  of  which  it  is  im- 
possible for  any  unprejudiced  mind  to  doubt,  arrived  after 
disease  and  imprisonment  had  put  a  period  to  the  bodily 
sufferings  of  the  unfortunate  missionary.  The  cloud  thus 
thrown  upon  the  prospects  of  religious  usefulness  in  this 
quarter  has  not  yet  passed  off,  and  the  directors  of  the 
Society  have  since  resolved  to  abandon  the  station — 
though  it  appears  that  they  have  been  induced  by  subse- 
quent information  to  defer  carrying  that  resolution  into 
^tfect. 


2  1  6  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  WEST  INDIA  ISLANDS — NEGRO  SLAVES — THE  EMPIRE 
OF  THE  BLACKS  IN  HAYTI ACTIVITY  OF  THE  PRO- 
TESTANT MISSIONARIES  IN  THE  BRITISH  AND  DANISH 
ISLANDS. 

The  extensive  archipelagoes  of  islands  which  lie  scat* 
t.ered  between  the  two  great  continents  of  America,  and 
are  known  by  the  names  of  the  Antilles  and  Bahamas,  were 
first  discovered  by  the  Europeans,  first  conquered,  first 
fertilized  with  the  blood  of  their  inhabitants,  and  then  re- 
peopled  with  greedy  planters  and  African  Negro  Slaves, 
ft  was  only  in  St.  Vincent,  Tobago,  Martinique,  and  Do- 
minica, that  a  few  wretched  relics  of  the  aboriginal  in- 
habitants, the  Caribbees,  maintained  themselves. 

In  their  towns  and  villages  the  cruel  conquerors  built 
numerous  churches,  chapels,  and  convents  for  monks  and 
nuns.  They  rejoiced  to  be  able  to  plant  the  cross  in  tin 
New  World  :  but  the  religion  of  Him  who  suffered  on  it 
was  not  propagated  with  the  cross.  The  baptized  were 
more  ferocious  than  the  unbaptized  who  had  been  massa- 
cred, or  than  the  wretched  Negroes  who  were  treated  like 
brutes. 

For  a  long  time  it  was  considered  as  not  worth  while 
to  impart  Christian  instruction  to  the  Blacks  employed  in 
the  cultivation  of  the  islands.  If  they  understood  the 
language  of  the  scourge,  it  was  thought  quite  sufficient. 
There  were  moreover  great  impediments  to  their  con- 
version, as  on  the  one  hand  their  labour  left  them  too 
little  leisure,  and  on  the  other  they  frequently  changed 
their  master  and  residence,  or  pined  in  misery.  It  was 
found  necessary  to  drag  away  one  hundred  thousand 
Negroes  annually  from  Africa,  to  supply  the  places  of 
those  who  had  perished. 

It  was  not  till  the  commencement  of  the  eighteenth 
century  that  the  Europeans  began  to  think  seriously  of 
the  conversion  of  the  Blacks,  at  least  of  such  of  them  a-- 


WEST    INDIA    ISLANDS.  211* 

had  acquired  their  freedom.  Here  too,  and  especially  in 
the  French  islands,  the  Jesuits  were  most  assiduous  in 
their  efforts.  The  Spanish  colonies  manifested  less  zeal 
for  the  civilization  of  their  slaves.  Political  writers,  nay 
oven  divines,  went  so  far  as  to  dissuade  from  such 
attempts ;  some,  probably  from  the  same  reason  which  at 
the  present  day  causes  the  timid  jealousy  of  European 
viziers,  the  pride  of  caste,  and  monastic  intrigue,  to 
oppose  the  humanizing  of  mankind  :  that  the  diffusion  of 
knowledge  might  be  dangerous  to  the  public  welfare  and 
tranquillity — others,  because  the  Black,  though  a  man,  is 
of  inferior  race  and  not  capable  of  attaining  such  a  degree 
pf  moral  elevation  as  the  European. 

In  the  Spanish  settlements  in  the  West  Indies  most  of 
the  Negroes   have  in  fact  continued  to  be  worshippers  of 
fetishes  :  and  the  converts  have  no  other  Christian  duty  but 
to  attend  mass  a  iew  times  in  the  course  of  the  year.   Who 
fever  neglects  this  point  is  punished  with  fine  or  flogging. 

In  the  French  YVest  India  islands  a  better  spirit  pre 
vailed,  at  least  in  this  particular.  The  activity  of  the 
Jesuits,  Capuchins,  and  other  orders  of  monks,  was  en- 
couraged and  seconded.  The  mission  founded  in  1701, 
by  the  Jesuits  in  St.  Domingo,  numbered  in  the  year 
17  45  nineteen  parishes;  and  at  present,  in  the  inde« 
pendent  Negro  state  of  Hayti,  comprehending  nearly  a 
million  of  souls,  there  is  not  a  village  without  its  church. 
The  fifty-four  parishes  of  this  republic  were  divided  into 
the  episcopal  sees  of  Port  au  Prince,  Leogane,  Cape 
Henry,  and  Sans  Souci.  The  archbishop  of  the  island 
resides  at  Portau  Prince.  There  is  not  a  village  but  has 
its  elementary  schools,  not  a  town  without  institutions 
tor  the  promotion  of  the  arts  and  sciences.  ?»Iore  civili- 
zation, more  industry,  more  love  for  art  and  science, 
prevail  at  this  day  in  this  West  Indian  Negro  State  than 
were  ever  found  there  since  the  conquest  of  the  island 
!t  is  also  worthy  of  remark  that  the  British  Bible  Societies 
e  extended  their  beneficent  influence  to'Hayti. 

In  the  British,  Danish,  Swedish,  and  Dutch  West  India 

islands  also,  the  Christian  instruction  of  the  Negroes  was 

not  seriously  commenced  till  after  the  beginning  of  the 

st  century*    In  Jamaica  appeared  the  Moravian  Brethren 

19 


'218  SURVEY    OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

in  1754,  the  Wesleyan  Methodists  (in  1781),  and  the  Baj* 
tisis,  and  founded  numerous  missions.  Of  more  thafi 
three  hundred  thousand  biack  inhabitants  of  the  island, 
a  sixth  part  were  converted  in  the  space  of  thirty  years  to 
Christianity  The  most  enlightened  or  tlie  most  pious  of 
the  free  Negroes  are  selected  for  preachers,  and  a  hundred 
of  them  are  assiduously  engaged  in  propagating  the  divine 
word.  The  United  Brethren  are  not  less  successful  in 
their  operations  at  Basse  Terre,  in  St  Kitts  (since  1774); 
at  Sharon,  in  Barbadoes,  (since  1765)  where  Sir  Christo- 
pher Codrington,  the  governor,  in  the  middle  of  last  cen- 
tury allotted  lands  to  the  value  of  thirty  thousand  pounds 
for  the  endowment  of  a  college  for  training  missionaries 
and  at  St.  John's  Grace-hill,  Grace  Bay,  Cedar  Hall,  and 
New  Field,  in  Antigua. 

iNext  to  the  Moravians,  the  Wesleyan  Methodists  have 
been  most  active  in  the  West  Indies,  especially  in  the  Bri- 
tish islands.  They  have  had  (since  17^8)  their  stationary 
missions  in  the  Bahama  islands  and  at  Trinidad,  in  the 
latf.er  island  along  with  the  Catholic  priests,  who  still  con- 
tinue, as  they  did  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  sovereignty, 
to  reside,  by  the  name  of  missionaries,  in  the  eight  villages 
of  the  native  Indians.  They  have  also  supplied  the  island 
of  Grenada  (since  1788)  with  preachers;  likewise  St. 
Vincent,  the  Swedish  island  of  St.  Bartholomew  (since 
1788),  the  mountainous  Dominica,  Antigua,  &c.  The 
latter  island  contains  their  most  flourishing  mission,  to 
which  belonged,  in  1&26,  above  3500  souls. 

In  the  Danish  islands  of  St.  Croix,  St.  Thomas,  and  St. 
Juan,  the  Moravians  set  about  the  conversion  of  the  Ne- 
groes so  early  as  tiie  year  1732.  Till  then  nothing  of 
the  kind  had  been  attempted.  Leonhard  Dober,  a  Ger- 
man, was  the  first  person  who  left  Heirnhut,  and  proceed- 
ed for  the  fulfilment  of  the  holy  purpose,  poor,  destitute 
of  resources,  without  a  knowledge  of  the  language,  to 
St.  Thomas,  to  instil  into  slaves  the  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity.*    Others  followed  him  to  the  other  Danish  islands. 

*  Some  conception  of  the  spirit  which  animated  this  modern  apostle 
may  be  formed,  when  it  is  known  that  he  had  fully  resolved  before  he  left 
Europe  to  sell  himself  for  a  slave  in  the  West  Indies,  if  lie  could  find  no 
•  <ther  means  of  gaining  access  to  the  Negroes  and  accomplishing  hie 
benevolent  object. 


WEST    INDIA    ISLANDS.  219 

Oldendorp,  in  his  History  of  the  Missions  of  the  Evange- 
lical Brethren  in  the  Caribbee  isl'an  is,  elati  -  \erv  circum- 
stantially the  numerous  obstacles  which  the}  had  I  ere  to 
encounter.  Marty  of  these  arose  from  the  ba  .-mnt  of 
the  European  mastersAthemselves,  many  from  the  disper- 
sion of  the  Negroes  in  distant  plantations  ;  butth  gi  tatest 
consisted  in  the  diversitj  qi' their  languages.  '  In  •  lacks 
belonged  to,  o\  wer-<  descended  from,  totail  diffei  ^na- 
tions. Then  ma  ters  were  Danes,  French,  l*ei  ■■■  ,  and 
Dutch,  of  different  religious  professions.  n<  :  tholics 
manifested  the  strongesi  repi  'nance  tu  suriei  »;,;  "  hea- 
then Negroes  to  be  instructed  m  Jtlnstiinitj  by  ;«>tes- 
tants;  ami  on  man]  occasions  the  missionaries  were  in 
danger  of  theii  lives,  not  from  v  eg  roes — no — fron  the 
Christian  Whites. 

The  perseverance  of* the  Brethren  nevertheless  triumph- 
ed, and  procured  in  1  755  a  royal  or  lindiici  facilitating, 
the  labour  of  conversion,  assigning  salaries  for  caiecrristsy 
increasing  the  number,  of  Me  missionaries,  and  enjoini  ;g 
the  baptism  of  the  hildren  of  slaves.  The  same  ordi- 
nance, though  it  i  (deed  forbade  all  compulsory  means  in 
the  attempts  to  convert  the  Blacks  to  Christianity,  never- 
theless had  recourse  itself  to  such,  and  those  of  the  most 
efficacious  kind.  It  prohibited,  namely,  the  marriage  of 
all  slaves  who  had  not  ret  embraced  Christianity. 

The  Christian  faith  is  by  this  time  pretty-general  among, 
the  Negroes  of  those  isiands.  The  missionaries  have 
become  more  assiduous.  The  Moravians  have  two  set- 
tlements in  St.  Thomas,  New  Herrnhut  and  Niesky  ;  the 
like  number  in  St.  Juan,  namely  Bethany  and  Emmaus ; 
and  three  in  St.  Croix — Friedenthal,  FrifJuenburg,  and 
Friedensfeld-  From  the  testimony  of  the  Danish  colo- 
nists, we  know  what  the  fruits  of  the  Gospel  have  been. 
The  Negro  slaves  have  become,  through  the  doctrines  of 
Christ,  quieter  subjects,  more  upright  citizens,  more  dili- 
gent servants,  more  patient  sufferers  :  ami  from  the  con- 
templation of  this  improvement  in  the  Blacks,  the  planter? 
themselves  have  been  rendered  more  humane. 


220  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


CHAPTER  IX. 

OENERAL  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  DIFFUSION  OF  CHRIS- 
TIANITY IN  A31ERICA. 

America,  for  o  long  time  after  its  discovery,  had  no 
impoitance  in  the  eyes  of  Europeans  but  as  a  mine  of 
gold,  silver,  and  precious  stones,  and  as  a  land  producing 
cotton,  sr.gar,  indigo,  tobacco,  cacao,  vanilla,  dyeing 
woovls,  &c.  For  the  inhabitants  of  this  country  not  a 
soul  felt  the  least  concern  ;  on  the  contrary  they  were 
driven  from  their  former  abodes  or  massacred,  because 
the  European  Christians  could  not  treat  them  as  market- 
able commodities. 

After  the  colonies  of  Europe  in  the  New  World  has?' 
become  mere  numerous  and  more  populous,  the  countries 
were  more  highly  valued  not  because  the  means  of  ap- 
proaching the.  savage  aborigines  and  imparting  to  them  a 
higher  degree  of  civilization  wem  multiplied,  but  because 
America  promised  new  markets  for  the  consumption  of 
European  manufactures.  It  was  not.  European  govern- 
ments, but  either  philanthropic  individuals  or  Orders  of 
monks,  that  paid  attention  to  the  noblest  production  of 
this  quarter  of  the  globe — to  man — and  attempted,  by 
means  of  instruction,  to  render  him  worthy  of  bid  destina- 
tion in  the  spiritual  world  In  Europe,  indeed,  high  and 
low  boasted  of  imitating  Jesus  ;  but  scarcely  one  out  of 
thousands  thought  of  doing-  as  Jesus  and  his  holy  band  of 
apostles  had  done.  Columbus  seemed  to  have  discovered 
a  new  world  m>  rely  to  infect  the  old  one  with  new  poi- 
sons ;  nay,  the  very  Europeans  who  emigrated  to  the  co- 
lonies became  more  servile,  and  seemed,  by  settling  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  to  have  lost  their  title  to 
European  rights. 

These  felt  indignantly  the  oppression  of  the  mother 
country.  They  did,  what  always  has  been  and  always 
will  be  done,   when  nations,  possessed  of  better  know^ 


GENERAL    OBSERVATIONS    ON    AMERICA.  221 

ledge  are  ill  treated  and  neglected  by  imprudent  rulers. 
The  English  colonies  in  North  America  separated  them- 
selves from  the  parent  state,  and  flourish,  d  in  indepen- 
dendence  as  a  democratic  confederation.  'I  hirty-five 
years  later  Spanish  America  followed  their  example. 
From  this  period  the  New  World  acquires  a  political,  not 
merely  a  commercial,  importance  for  the  Old.  Hereto- 
fore the  life  of  America  constituted  hut  one  and  the  same 
life  with  that  of  Europe.  The  former  separated,  and  the 
latter  isolated  and  limited  to  itself,  nearly  as  it  was  ante- 
rior to  the  sixteenth  century --the  effects  of  the  revolutions 
of  America  are  not  to  be  calculated  As  the  once  flou- 
rishing Asia  was  eclipsed  by  Europe,  so  Europe  is  likely 
to  be  surpassed  by  the  youthful  America.  In  America 
we  find  a  free  and  fre>h  development  of  reason  and  f 
every  moral  faculty,  to  which  domestic,  civil,  an.)  political 
institutions  must  conform,  as  means  to  the  end — in  Europe 
antiquated  prejudices,  customary  formalities,  to  which,  in 
state  and  church,  in  town  and  village  the  mental  powers, 
as  means,  are  rendered  subservient  :  there,  independent 
Christianity  in  churches  of  various  forms — here,  priestly 
violence,  adherence  to  cerem  mies,  and  intolerance  in 
matters  of  conscience  and  religion. 

When  Christianity  passed  over  from  Asia  to  the  colder 
regions  of  philosophizing  Europe,  it  underwent  the  most 
violent,  the  most  unnatural  changes  from  nation  to  nation, 
from  age  to  age,  from  council  to  council.  Hierarchy, 
dogmatism,  ceremonies,  and  svmhois  usurped  the  place  of 
the  divine,  the  living,  the  simple,  ofthe  revelation  of  Jesus. 

With  the  passage  of  European  Christianity  to  America 
new  changes  are  preparing  for  it.  Jn  the  feeling  of  their 
independence,  the  States  beyond  the  Atlantic  will  not 
long  look  to  another  quarter  of  the  globe  for  decisions  and 
oracles.  The  churches  will  assume  other,  and  assuredly 
simpler  forms,  agreeably  to  the  higher  cultivation  and 
superior  knowledge  of  the  times.  America  has  not  yet 
produced  any  Reformers.  It  needs  none.  The  vital 
power  of  this  portion  of  the  world  has  more  need  of  its 
•mdivided  energy,  to  form  and  combine  into  a  whole  the 
heterogenous  masses  of  society,  which  are  constantly  re 
-eiving  accessions  bv  fresh  emigrations  from  abroad 

!9* 


222  SUKVEY    OF    CHRXSTIANITr. 

What  the  Europeans  have  hitherto  brought  thither  wa.v 
only  the  fruit  of  their  political,  ecclesiastical,  and  acade- 
mical relations,  the  leavings  of  European  ages,  scarcely  fit 
for  American  climates  and  localities.  Much  of  it  still 
subsists,  because  those  who  carried  it  thither  are  still 
living".  But  the  American  atmosphere  already  operates 
perceptibly  or.  the  exotic  plant,  to  make  it  the  child  of  its 
own  influences.  The  word  of  God  will  remain,  but  not 
the  European  exposition  ;  the  doctrine  and  revelation  of 
Jesus  will  remain,  but  not  the  Acta  Conciliorum,  the 
Augsburg  Confession,  and  the  Heidelberg  Catechism. 

The  number  of  persons  living  on  the  thirteen  millions 
of  square  miles  in  the  two  Americas  is  estimated  by 
Humboldt,  the  celebrated  traveller,  at  34,284,000.  Of 
these  13,162,000  are  Whites;  8,610,000  Indians  - 
6,223,000  Negroes;  and  6,289,0«  0  of  mixed  races. 
According  to  the  same  writer,  Spanish  continental 
America  has  a  population  of  sixteen,  and  Portuguese 
Vmerica  of  four  millions  ;  while  the  English  language  is 
spoken  by  11,297,500  persons  ;  and  seven  millions  and  a 
half  of  the  aborigines  still  retain  their  native  idioms,  and 
are  almost  utter  strangers  to  those  of  Europe.  He  seems 
however,  to  have  fallen  into  a  palpable  error  in  compre- 
hending the  total  population  of  America,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  820,000  yet  independent  Indians,  under  th( 
denominations  of  Roman  Catholics  and  Protestants,  and 
representing  the  number  of  the  former  as  being  22, 1 77,000, 
and  that  of  the  latter,  11,287,000.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  a  very  large  proportion  of  the  Indians  and 
Negroes,  whom,  as  it  may  be  seen  above,  he  sets  down  a;- 
constituting  together  about  fifteen  millions,  or  nearly  half 
the  population  of  this  extensive  portion  of  the  globe,  nr< 
still  heathen  ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  merely  nominal 
Christianity  which  prevails  in  a  large  part  of  the  other 
half. 

The  religious  notions  communicated  to  the  convert.-' 
Indians  by  missions  of  the  Catholic  church  consist,  i?: 
fact,  but  too  often  in  external  forms  and  ceremonies  and 
constraint  of  conscience.  In  America  too,  the  divine 
spirit  of  Jesus  is  much  less  conspicuous  than  the  earthly 
spirit  of  the  monastic  orders.     Hierarchical  honour  ani 


SENERAL    OBSERVATIONS    ON    AMERICA.  22S 

the  interest  of  the  church  are  but  too  busy  behind  the 
ostensible  image  of  the  honour  of  God  and  the  salvation 
of  miserable  souls. 

The  missions  of  the  Protestant  church,  on  the  other 
hand,  have  not  always  been  entitled  to  praise.  The  first 
fourteen  Protestant  missionaries  proceeded  in  the  year 
1556  from  Geneva  to  the  wilds  of  the  New  World: 
thousands  have  since  followed  nom  various  countries  in 
all  directions,  with  the  best  intentions,  but  not  always  with 
genuine  apostolic  unction.  The  Quakers,  Baptists,  Me- 
thodists, and  Evangelical  Brethren,  have  approved  them- 
selves the  most  active. 

The  missionaries  of  the  two  communions,  Catholic  and 
Protestant — I  mean  the  majority  of  them  and  not  the 
highly  laudable  exceptions  on  botii  sides — pursued  in 
some  respects  opposite  ways  for  the  accomplishment  of 
their  ends.  The  Catholics  strove  first  to  civilize  the 
Savages  by  means  of  new  habits,  by  external  discipline, 
and  by  winning  the  senses,  in  order  to  prepare  and  render 
them  susceptible  of  the  more  sublime  of  the  divine  revela- 
tions. The  Protestant  missionaries,  on  the  contrary,  en- 
deavoured to  produce  external  improvement  by  amending 
the  heart  and  soul.  They  related  to  the  Savages  the 
history  of  the  incarnation,  life,  sufferings,  and  death,  of 
the  Son  of  God,  and  hoped,  with  a  genuine  faith  in 
miracles,  that,  by  this  history,  by  this  direction  of  hearts  to 
the  Lamb  of  God  and  to  his  blood,  all  was  done,  and 
that  grace  would  be  mighty  in  the  Savages.  They  ex- 
pected every  good  thing,  every  Christian  and  every  civil 
virtue,  to  spring  from  love  to  the  Saviour. 

Both  courses  had  their  advantages  and  their  disadvan 
tages.  Souls  were  gained  by  both  :  and  though  the  reli- 
gious notions  of  the  baptized  were  most  impeifect,  con- 
tused, and  absurd — and  how  could  they  be  otherwise  ? — 
still  the  Savage  was  rendered  nearer  akin  by  them  to  tlu 
more  civilized  European.  The  way  to  improvement  was 
opened.  We  find  in  Hayti  an  independent  State  founded 
by  Negroes,  with  a  constitution,  manners,  laws,  and  regu 
lations,  which  rival  those  of  the  most  polished  European 
nations.  In  another  century  our  descendants  will  see 
new  empires  of  the  copper-coloured  aborigines  of  Amerir>; 


224  SURVEY  OF    CHRISTIANITY". 

flourishing  in  Christian  civilization;  and  the  Muses  &t 
Greece  and  Rome,  England,  France,  Italy,  and  Ger- 
many, will  have  their  temples  in  the  now  impenetrable 
forests  along  the  Ypalachian  Mountains  and  the  Cordil- 
leras de  los  Andes. 

The  preceding  observations,  however,  apply  iather  to 
America  as  it  was,  titan  to  the  present  state  of  that  im- 
mense continent,  over  great  part  of  which  a  new  day  has 
begun  to  dawn.  The  separation  of  the  ►Spanish  colonies 
from  the  mother  country,  and  the  general  diffusion  of 
liberty  and  knowledge  among  them,  are  opening  a  way  for 
the  propagation  ol"  Christian  truth  and  all  its  attendant 
blessings,  beyond  any  expectations  which  a  few  years 
since  the  most  ardent  mind  could  have  reasonably  in- 
dulged. From  Mexico  to  Patagonia,  throughout  region? 
covered  until  these  days  as  with  the  shadow  of  death,  the 
germ  of  intellectual  and  moral  life  is  beginning  to  expand. 
In  the  whole  range  of  the  Spanish  Americas,  not  only  is 
the  unhallowed  slave  trade  effectually  prohibited,  but  the 
very  incentive  to  the  crime  has  been  removed  by  pro- 
visions for  the  early  and  gradual  abolition  of  slavery  itself. 
All  persons  of  every  colour,  born  subjects  of  the  inde- 
pendent States,  are  declared  free  from  their  birth ;  and 
the  governments  of  all  these  States  have  agreed  that  dif- 
ference of  colour  shall  not  produce  any  difference  in  the 
civil  condition  of  their  subjects.  With  a  laudable  solici- 
tude for  the  intellectual  cultivation  of  the  latter,  these 
governments  are  moreover  actively  promoting  general  edu- 
cation by  the  foundation  and  endowment  of  academical 
and  scholastic  institutions.  Already  has  the  city  of  Buenos 
Ayres  a  university  with  upward  of  four  hundred  students, 
and  thirty  free  schools  supported  by  the  government,  and  i;. 
v.Jiich  the  British  system  of  instruction  is  introduced, 
besides  seventy-iivc  private  schools,  containing  together 
about  five  thousand  children.  The  sum  appropriated  by 
the  government  to  the  purposes  of  education  for  the  year 
1825  was  1G25,000  dollars.  The  increased  thirst  after 
knowledge,  which  pervades  the  population  of  these  new 
independent  States,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact,  that  at 
me  commencement  of  the  revolution,  in  1810,  the  United 
'Vovinces  of  T<a  Plata  had  but  one  printing-press  and  on^ 


GENEKAL   OBSERVATIONS    ON    AMERICA.  225 

newspaper  ;  whereas  there  are  now  in  the  city  of  Buenos 
Ayres  alone  seven  periodical  papers,  copies  of  which  arc 
tbund  in  all  places  of  general  resort. 

In  the  State  of  Colombia  also  Model  Schools  for  train- 
ing professors  and  teachers  have  been  founded  by  its  presi- 
dent, Bolivar,  the  great  champion  of  South  American 
liberty,  who  has  appropriated  ¥0,000  dollars  to  Oie  estab- 
lishment of  schools  on  the  British  system  ;  and  Mr.  Lan- 
caster, one  of  the  chief  propagators  of  that  system,  is  resi- 
ding at  Caraccas  with  a  view  to  this  object.  'I  he  same 
statesman  has  also  issued  a  decree  for  sending  two  young 
men  from  every  province  in  Peru  to  England,  there  to  re- 
ceive at  the  expense  of  the  government  the  best  education 
that  can  be  obtained;  and  ten  of  these  young  :)en  are 
now  pursuing  their  studies  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lon- 
don. On  their  return  to  their  native  land  they  are  destined 
to  Jill  important  stations  in  the  great  work  of  general  illu- 
mination 

Tne  government  of  Mexico  takes  its  share  in  the  same 
laudable  design.  Here  the  first  school  on  the  British  sys- 
tem was  opened  in  1 822,  and  some  time  afterwards  the  large 
and  beautiful  convent  of  Bethlehem  was  appropriated  to  the 
purposes  of  education.  Here  has  been  formed  an  acade- 
mical institution,  .-alculated  to  afford  education  to  1360 
pupils,  and  divided  into  three  departments:  one  of  these  is 
destined  to  be  a  Model  or  Central  School  for  training 
teachers  and  professors,  who,  on  finishing  their  education, 
are  to  be  sent  into  the  different  provinces  of  the  State,  in 
order  to  fulfil  the  desire  of  the  government,  winch  is,  to  es- 
tablish in  every  village  throughout  Mexico  a  school,  a  print- 
ing-press, and  a  chapel. 

The  Peruvian  government  has  likewise  directed  the  es- 
tablishment at  its  expense  of  a  central  school  on  the  Bri- 
tish system  for  the  children  of  either  sex  in  Lima,  and  de- 
partmental schools  in  the  capital  of  every  department  of 
that  State  ;  and  the  State  of  Vera  Cruz  has  allotted  ^0,000 
dollars  per  annum  for  promoting  public  education,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  local  funds  and  free  contributions  previously  de- 
voted to  that  purpose. 

Encouraged  by  these  dispositions,  the  Christian  Socie- 
ties of  England  and  the  United  States  have  embraced  everv 


226  SURVF.Y    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

opportunity  of  promoting  the  emancipation  of  the  people 
of  Spanish  America  from  the  fetters  of  superstition,  by  the 
circulation  of  the  Scriptures,  tracts,  and  translations  of 
works  calculatOvl  to  convey  just  notions  on  the  sublet  of 
religion.  To  tins  object  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  So- 
ciety devoted  in  one  year  nearly  .500/..  and  in  this  career 
of  benevolence  it  is  vigorously  followed  by  the  Ameri.  .n 
Bible  Societies.  Resident  or  travelling  agents  are  the  me- 
dium by  which  these  institutions  are  acting,  and  their  efforts 
have  led  to  the  formation  of  local  societies,  such  as  the 
Colombian  Society  a.nl  the  Society  <»f  La  Guayra,  for  the 
promotion  of  the  same  object.  A  disposition  to  receive 
the  Scriptures  is  manifested  in  all  quarters,  and  translations 
of  them  into  vernacirnr  languages  in  which  no  version  ex- 
ists are  required.  in  addition  to  the  ancient  Peruvian 
translation,  of  which  the  New  Testament  has  been  com- 
pleted, there  is  a  prospect  of  obtaining  a  version  in  the 
Guarani,  a  Ian-juage  extensively  spok>  n  in  Paraguay  ;  and 
another,  in  Aimara,  has  been  undertaken  at  the  charge  of 
*he  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 


PART   THE    FIFTH 


SOUTH  INDIA. 
CHAPTER  I. 

>t;\\     HOLLAND — FIRST    CHRISTIAN    SETTLEMENT    IN 
NEW    ZEALAND. 

It  yet  remains  for  us  to  cast  a  look  at  that  insular  world 
in  the  southern  hemisphere,  extending  eastward  from  the 
Asiatic  islands  to  the  West  American  Ocean.  If  Australia 
be  not  the  youngest  offspring-  of  the  globe,  the  last  land  that 
has  issued  from  the  bosom  of  the  deep,  still  it  is  that  por- 
tion of  the  world  which  Europeans  have  last  visited  and  ex- 
plored. It  occupies  with  its  islands  an  area  one-fourth 
larger  than  the  whole  of  Europe. 

Here  man  is  still  in  a  state  of  original  barbarism.  But 
how  ignorant  soever  the  rudest  tribe  may  be  of  the  simplest 
conveniences  of  life  ;  how  meagre  soever  their  language, 
how  obtuse  their  faculties  may  seem ;  how  insensible  so- 
ever the  heart  may  often  be  here  where  man  can  murder 
his  fellow-creature  and  sink  immediately  after  the  horrid  act 
into  the  most  stupid  indifference,  like  the  ferocious  beast, 
which  no  longer  recollects  the  deed  when  it  has  once  quit- 
ted the  bloody  spot ;  how  cruel  the  disposition  of  particu- 
lar hordes,  who  yet  devour  human  flesh,  and  bury  the  suck- 
ling alive  with  its  deceased  mother :  still  all  these  Savages 
have  within  them  germs  of  religion,  notions  of  superior 
beings,  belief  in  immortality. 

We  know  as  yet  but  little  of  the  extent  and  interior  of 
New  Holland,  the  largest  of  the  South  Sea  islands,  or,  as 
it  is  perhaps  more  properly  considered,  the  fifth  continent 
•t*  our  globe— to  sav  nothing  of  its  inhabitants  and  thei» 


228  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

religious  ideas.  They  mostly  live,  like  the  first  of  mankind, 
in  trunks  of  trees  hollowed  out  by  fire  and  in  huts  made 
of  boughs.  Their  social  relations  are  still  those  of  the 
primitive  patriarchal  world.  They  have  neither  kings  nor 
princes  ;  the  lather  of  the  family  is  its  head,  and  age  is  reve- 
renced. They  are  rude,  savage,  but  not  without  a  taste 
for  the  arts.  On  the  rocks  in  many  places  are  to  be  seen 
figures  of  men,  animals,  weapons,  though  imperfectly  sculp- 
tured with  imperfect  tools,  yet  often  remarkably  correct  in 
the  outline.  Their  few  implements  and  fishing-nets  dis- 
play ingenuity. 

Since  the  English  in  1788  began  to  settle  here,  and 
founded  the  colonies  of  Sydney,  Paramatta,  Hawkesbury, 
Newcastle,  &c,  which  they  partly  peopled  with  convicts 
of  every  class,  they  have  not  found  means  to  establish  any 
tiling  like  a  social  intercourse  with  the  natives.  They  were 
too  shy  and  too  suspicious  of  the  strangers  ;  these,  however, 
won  by  degrees  the  confidence  of  some  of  the  chiefs,  whom 
they  sought  to  make  acquainted  with  European  luxuries, 
with  a  view  to  excite  in  them  a  desire  fijr  knowledge  and 
civilization.  The  business  proceeded  very  slowly.  The 
ministers  in  the  colonies  found  little  opportunity  to  impart 
notions  of  divine  things  to  the  Savages,  and  were  obliged 
to  confine  themselves  almost  entirely  to  the  instruction  and 
conversion  of  the  numerous  convicts  sent  hither  to  cultivate 
the  land.  In  fact,  they  had  more  than  enough  to  do  to 
awaken  Christian  sentiments  and  ideas  in  this  reprobate 
crew,  addicted  to  drunkenness,  gaming,  lewdness,  theft, 
murder,  and  every  crime.  Their  labours,  combined  with 
the  severity  of  the  civil  laws,  have  not,  as  we  learn  from 
vear  to  year,  proved  fruitless. 

At  the  beginning  of  1825  an  Auxiliary  Church  Mission- 
ary Society  was  formed  in  New  South  Wales  under  the 
patronage  of  the  then  governor,  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane,  who 
-ranted  to  the  London  Missionary  Society  ten  thousand 
teres  of  land  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  mission  among 
the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  country.  It  was  expected 
that  the  appointment  of  missionaries,  to  reside  among  the 
people,  and  to  labour  for  their  civilization  and  general  im- 
provement, might  prove  the  means  of  preventing  the  recur- 
rence of  the  alarming  and  fatal  contests  which  had  recently 


-N'EW    HOLLAND.  £20 

taken  place  between  them  and  the  Europeans,  the  destruc- 
tion of  property,  and  the  loss  of  human  life.  The  increased 
extent  of  more  populous  coast  now  occupied  by  the  settle- 
ment of  Port  Macquarie  and  the  more  recent  establishment 
at  Moreton  Bay,  indeed,  rendered  it  expedient  to  resort  to 
every  prudent  measure  for  maintaining  a  good  understand- 
ing with  the  natives.  The  spot  selected  for  the  commence- 
ment of  missionary  labours  in  this  quarter  is  situated  on  the 
sea-coast,  about  forty  miles  north  of  Sydney,  near  Lake 
Macquarie,  and  called  Reid's  Mistake.  We  are  assured 
that  the  missionary  appointed  to  this  station  finds  the  study 
of  the  language  of  the  natives,  from  its  affinity  to  that  of 
Otaheite  where  he  previously  resided,  comparatively  easy, 
and  he  has  made  considerable  progress  in  an  attempt  to- 
wards the  formation  of  one  of  their  dialects  into  a  written 
language,  a  printed  specimen  of  which  has  been  transmit- 
ted to  England.  Owing  to  the  great  expense  attending  this 
mission,  the  directors  of  the  London  Missionary  Society, 
at  whose  cost  it  is  undertaken,  have  been  induced  to  apply 
to  the  local  government  for  aid,  in  support  of  the  measures 
requisite  for  promoting  industry  and  civilization  among  the 
aborigines  dwelling  near  the  station  ;  but,  should  this  appli- 
cation prove  unsuccessful,  it  is  probable  that  the  mission 
will  be  abandoned. 

To  the  grant  above  mentioned  to  the  London  Missionary 
Society,  Sir  Thomas  Brisbane  added  during  his  government 
a  grant  of  ten  thousand  acres  to  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  and  another  to  the  Wesleyan  Missionary  Society 
of  double  that  quantity,  in  consideration  of  its  more  exten- 
sive establishment  in  the  colony.  In  these  grants,  which 
are  to  be  occupied  for  the  benefit  of  the  aborigines  of  New 
South  Wales,  a  sure  foundation  has  been  laid,  it  may  be 
hoped,  for  the  permanent  and  successful  exertions  of  the 
different  Societies. 

By  the  Wesleyan  Society  a  mission  has  been  commenced 
among  the  natives  in  the  vicinity  of  Wellington,  of  whom 
the  missionary  gives  the  following  account : — "  It  is  im- 
possible to  state  with  precision  the  number  of  natives  in  this 
neighbourhood  ;  but  certainly  it  is  not  considerable.  There 
are  five  tribes  besides  the  Bathurst  tribe  :  their  usual  places 
of  resort  are  many  miles  from  Wellington,  but  occasionally 
20 


230  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY", 

they  all  visit  this  spot.  How  large  these  tribes  may  be  it 
is  hazardous  to  conjecture,  a  whole  tribe  having  perhaps 
never  been  seen  together  :  they  are  commonly  divided  into 
groupes  of  sixty  or  severity.  They  are  in  general  taller, 
stouter,  and  more  athletic  than  the  Blacks  nearer  the  colo- 
ny, and  they  evince  some  superiority  of  intellect:  in  point 
of  ignorance  and  behaviour,  both  are  on  the  same  level. 

"  They  are  perpetually  roving  from  place  to  place,  either 
as  prompted  by  caprice  or  in  search  of  food.  They  build 
no  houses,  and  their  only  covering  is  the  skin  of  the  opos- 
sum;  but  they  generally  go  naked,  and  even  in  cold  and 
wet  weather  sleep  on  the  bare  ground,  without  shelter,  in 
the  open  air,  with  only  a  fire  by  their  side  to  keep  them 
warm.  They  live  on  kangaroos,  emus,  opossums,  snakes, 
fish,  &c.  of  which  kinds  of  food  there  is  always  a  plentiful 
supply.  The  women  are  not  allowed  to  partake  of  the 
animals  procured  by  their  husbands,  but  left  to  seek  their 
own  subsistence,  which  chiefly  consists  of  large  grubs  found 
at  the  roots  of  young  trees. 

"  They  have  some  notion  of  a  Supreme  Being,  whom 
they  call  Muri'ooberrai,  and  who,  they  believe,  produces 
the  thunder  and  lightning  ;  but  they  pay  him  no  worship, 
and  seem  never  to  think  of  him  but  when  it  thunders,  and 
then  their  only  sentiment  is  that  of  terror.  They  have  also 
some  idea  of  a  future  state  of  existence  :  they  believe  that 
though  they  ^  tumble  down' — the  expression  which  they 
use  for  dying — they  shall  w  rise  up  again  ;?  but  it  will  be  as 
human  beings  in  this  world.  They  think,  however,  that 
their  future  condition  will  be  affected  by  their  conduct  in 
the  present  state,  and  that  he  who  has  killed  most  of  his 
fellow-men  will  rise  up  under  the  most  adverse  circum- 
stances. Murder  seems  to  be  the  only  crime  which  in 
their  apprehension  will  be  visited  with  punishment  hereafter. 
These  sentiments,  however,  defective  and  obscure  as  they 
are,  have  but  little  practical  influence  ;  and  they  appear, 
indeed,  never  to  advert  to  them  but  when  questioned  on 
the  subject. 

M  They  frequently  express  an  earnest  desire  to  have  some 
person  to  instruct  them  in  agriculture  and  to  build  houses.'" 

To  this  statement  the  Committee  of  the  Society  em- 
phatically added  :  "  Either  the  natives  of  New  Holland 


NEW    ZEALAND.  231 

must  become  utterly  extinct,  or  that  melancholy  result 
must  be  averted  by  the  introduction  of  Christianity  among 
them.  It  may  be  hoped  that  this  is  the  design  of  the 
common  Parent  of  all  the  tribes  and  nations  of  men  ;  and 
that  Christianity  may  here  also  have  the  triumph  of  arrest- 
ing the  progress  of  depopulation  and  death,  and  of  ex- 
hibiting some  of  these  tribes,  the  most  depraved  and  hope- 
less of  human  beings,  among  the  monuments  of  its  saving- 
mercy."  To  this  wish  every  philanthropic  mind  must 
breathe  a  sincere  Amen  ! 

If  the  zeal  for  conversion  has  for  the  present  but  little 
hope  of  enlightening  the  New  Hollanders,  so  much  the 
more  pleasing  prospects  have  (since  1818)  opened  in  New 
Zealand.  On  the  application  of  the  excellent  chaplain  to 
the  colony,  the  Jlev.  Samuel  Marsden,  of  Paramatta,  in 
New  South  Wales,  the  Church  Missionary  Society  has 
granted  the  annual  sum  of  five  hundred  pounds  for  the  sup- 
port of  missions  in  New  Zealand,  and  the  late  Governor 
Macquarie  encouraged  the  benevolent  enterprise.  Under 
his  presidency,  a  Society  was  formed  in  New  Holland  (at 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1814)  for  the  express  purpose  of 
promoting  the  diffusion  of  Christianity  and  civilization  in 
the  numberless  islands  of  the  South  Sea. 

The  two  islands  of  New  Zealand,  each  about  600  miles 
by  an  average  breadth  of  150,  covered  with  lofty,  woody 
mountains,  are  inhabited  by  more  than  one  hundred  thousand 
persons,  who  are  naturally  warlike  and  ingenious  in  the  sim- 
ple wants  and  relations  of  life.  Their  villages,  always  situ- 
ated on  eminences  and  surrounded  with  ramparts,  ditches, 
and  palisades,  resemble  fortresses.  Their  navigation  extends 
to  New  Holland.  They  have  successfully  cultivated  the 
corn  received  from  Europeans,  and  grind  it  with  hand-mills 
also  given  to  them  by  the  latter.  They  have  already  be- 
gun to  raise  potatoes,  turnips,  carrots,  beets,  cabbages, 
onions,  and  other  culinary  vegetables.  Their  gardens  are 
generally  laid  out  in  valleys  or  on  gentle  declivities. 

The  New  Zealanders  are  naturally  cruel ;  but  on  the 
other  hand  if  Europeans  have  experienced  the  effects  of 
their  ferocity,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  they  have  too  often 
been  exasperated  by  the  outrages  committed  by  the  crews 
of  ships  which  have  from  time  to  time  visited  their  coasts 


232  SURVEY  OF  CIIBISTIAKITY. 

It  is  nevertheless  ascertained  beyond  the  possibility  of doubt 
that  they  are  cannibals  in  the  moral  sense  of  the  term,  for 
they  not  only  devour  from  superstitious  motives  the  ene- 
mies whom  they  have  slain  in  battle,  but  regale  themselves 
on  human  flesh,  as  a  sensual  gratification.  Though  well 
aware  of  the  abhorrence  of  the  Europeans  for  this  prac- 
tice, they  take  no  pains  to  conceal  from  them  their  predi- 
lection for  this  kind  of  food.  They  eat  the  limbs  only  of 
a  man  ;  while  the  whole  body  of  a  female  or  a  child  is 
considered  delicious  :  but  it  is  worthy  of  remark  that 
they  consider  the  flesh  of  white  men  as  tough  and  unpala- 
table, compared  with  that  of  their  own  countrymen,  and 
attribute  its  inferiority  to  the  salt  habitually  eaten  by  the 
former  with  their  food. 

Each  chief  is  absolute  in  his  tribe  and  each  tribe  is  inde- 
pendent of  its  neighbour.  The  different  tribes  are  engaged 
in  almost  incessant  contentions,  and  live  under  perpe- 
tual apprehension  of  being  destroyed  by  each  other  ;  there 
being  few  tribes  that  have  not,  as  they  conceive,  sustained 
wrongs  from  some  other  tribe,  which  they  are  constantly 
on  the  watch  to  revenge.  The  desire  of  a  feast  is  perhaps 
an  additional  incitement  to  these  hostilities.  They  gene- 
rally wait  for  an  opportunity  to  take  the  adverse  party  by 
surprise,  and  kill  all  indiscriminately,  not  sparing  even  the 
women  and  children  ;  and  when  successful  they  either 
feast  immediately  on  the  bodies  of  their  victims,  or  carry 
off  as  many  of  them  as  they  can  to  be  devoured  at  home. 

The  almost  untameable  ferocity  of  these  people  maybe 
inferred  from  the  following  particulars  relative  to  a  chief 
named  Tooi.  This  man,  after  a  long  residence  in  Eng- 
land, and  though  he  had  returned  to  New  Zealand  under 
the  charge  of  one  of  the  missionaries,  still  scrupulously 
adhered  to  the  barbarous  prejudices  of  his  country.  His 
conversation  with  the  officers  of  the  English  ship,  Drom- 
edary, was  a  continued  boast  of  the  atrocities  which  he 
had  committed  during  an  excursion  with  his  brother  two 
months  before  ;  and  he  dwelt  with  marked  pleasure  on  an 
instance  of  his  generalship,  when,  having  forced  a  small 
party  of  his  foes  into  a  narrow  place  where  there  was  no 
pgress,  he  was  enabled  to  shoot  successively  twenty-two  of 
♦hem,  while  they  had  not  the  power  to  make  the  slightest 


NEW    ZEALAND.  23t> 

resistance.  To  qualify  this  story  he  remarked,  that 
though  all  the  dead  bodies  were  devoured  by  his  tribe. 
u  neither  he  nor  his  brother  ate  human  flesh,  nor  did  they 
fight  on  Sundays."  When  asked  why  he  did  not  turn  the 
minds  of  his  people  to  agriculture,  he  said,  it  was  impossi- 
ble, adding  :  u  If  you  tell  a  New  Zealander  to  work  he 
falls  asleep  ;  but  if  you  speak  of  fighting  he  opens  his 
eyes  as  wide  as  a  tea-cup  ;  the  whole  bent  of  his  mind  is 
war,  and  he  looks  upon  fighting  as  sport.'' 

The  possession  of  fire-arms  has  of  late  years  given  to 
the  tribes  about  the  Bay  of  Islands  a  superiority  which 
renders  them  the  scourge  and  terror  of  the  whole  country  ; 
and  they  fit  out  every  summer  a  predatory  expedition  com- 
posed in  general  of  the  united  strength  of  three  or  four 
chiefs. 

These  people  have  a  custom  of  preserving  the  heads  of 
the  enemies  whom  they  have  slain.  They  bring  them  back 
from  their  wars,  in  the  first  instance  as  trophies,  and  to  be 
restored  in  the  event  of  peace,  to  the  party  from  which 
they  were  taken.  These  heads  are  baked  or  steamed  to 
extract  the  moisture  and  then  dried  in  a  current  of  air  ; 
and  after  these  processes  they  appear  as  perfect  as  in  life  ; 
The  natives  barter  them  for  a  trifle,  and  many  specimens 
are  now  in  the  museums  of  Europe. 

Notwithstanding  the  cruelty  and  vindictive  spirit  which 
form  prominent  traits  in  the  character  of  the  New  Zealand- 
ers,  still  in  their  general  intercourse  with  Europeans  they 
have  been  found  hospitable,  courteous,  and  well-disposed. 
They  are  indeed  irritable,  but  fond  of  mirth,  dancing,  and 
singing. 

The  climate  of  these  islands  is  temperate  and  the  soil 
uncommonly  fertile.  The  New  Zealand  llax,  Phormio 
tenax,  the  fibres  of  which  are  finer  and  more  durable  than 
those  of  our  hemp,  and  of  which  the  natives  make  their 
garments,  mats,  baskets,  cordage,  and  nets,  is  a  most  valu- 
able gift  conferred  by  Nature  on  these  tribes.  Before  Eu- 
ropeans landed  on  these  shores,  the  New  Zealanders  had 
arrived  at  such  a  degree  of  civilization  as  to  live  together 
under  different  chiefs,  to  whom  the  heads  of  other  districts 
were  subordinate,  and  to  have  laws  relative  to  private  pro- 
perty. Their  respective  possessions  and  even  their  fishing 
20* 


234  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

places   >vere  marked  out.       Theft  and   adultery  wert 
punished  by  them  with  death,  but  polygamy  was  allowed. 

Their  religious  notions  have  not  yet  been  precisely  as- 
certained. They  have  priests  and  priestesses  of  different 
classes.  They  pray,  and  consider  good  and  ill  luck  as 
dispensations  of  a  superior  Being.  This  Being,  in  order 
to  denote  its  spirituality,  they  liken  to  a  shadow,  which 
none  can  grasp  and  feel,  which  created  all  things,  but  is 
itself  uncreated  and  imperishable. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Marsden,  the  apostle  of  the  New  Zea- 
landers  and  their  first  instructor  in  agriculture,  soon  after 
his  arrival  at  Port  Jackson  and  Sydney,  became  acquainted 
with  chiefs  who  had  come  thither  from  New  Zealand. — 
He  treated  them  kindly,  learned  something  of  their  lan- 
guage, gave  them  maize  and  wheat  for  seed,  and  taught 
them  to  till  the  ground  and  to  make  agricultural  imple- 
ments. Seeing  the  docility  of  these  people,  and  learning 
from  them  how  welcome  teachers  of  European  arts  would 
be  in  their  country,  he  purchased  a  brig,  to  facilitate  the 
intercourse  with  them,  and  in  May  1314  sent  thither  some 
persons  from  England,  destined  for  missionaries  among 
the  Heathen,  to  examine  the  localities.  These  were  so 
favourably  received  by  King  Duaterra  at  Ranghehoo,  that 
Mr.  Marsden  resolved  the  same  year  to  conduct  a  mis- 
sionary colony  thither.  This  plan  he  carried  into  execu- 
tion. Duaterra  was  the  sovereign  of  an  extensive  terri- 
tory. The  chiefs  of  four  districts  were  subject  to  his 
authority  and  many  others  in  alliance  with  him.  Not  far 
from  Ranghehoo,  which  consisted  of  two  hundred  houses, 
Marsden  bought  a  plot  of  land  of  more  than  two  hundred 
acres  for  twelve  hatchets.  Ahoodee  o  Gunna,  a  petty 
chief  to  whom  the  land  belonged,  publicly  declared  before 
all  the  people  that  it  was  now  the  exclusive  property  of 
the  white  men,  and  tabooed,  that  is,  religiously  conse- 
crated, to  their  use.  The  written  contract  prepared  by  the 
Europeans  was  signed  by  the  seller,  not  with  his  name, 
but  with  an  exact  representation  of  the  fantastic  figures 
with  which,  according  to  the  custom  of  his  country,  his 
face  was  tattooed. 

Such  was  the  origin  of  the  first  Christian  mission  in  New 
Zealand.     The  excellent  founder,  on  his  return  to  Port 


MEW    ZEALAND.  23l> 

Jackson,  was  accompanied  thither  by  ten  of  the  natives. 
They  were  mostly  chiefs  of  the  nation,  desirous  of  acquiring 
a  knowledge  of  European  arts  and  institutions. 

In  a  second  visit  to  New  Zealand,  in  1819,  Mr.  Marsden 
formed  a  second  missionary  establishment  in  the  Bay  of 
Islands,  a  large  bay  on  the  north-east  coast  of  the  northern 
island,  on  lands  purchased  of  a  chief  named  Shunghee,  near 
the  cpah,  or  fortified  native  town  of  Kiddeekiddee.  These 
lands  consist  of  thirteen  thousand  acres,  and  were  bought 
of  the  chief  and  his  tribe  for  forty-eight  axes.  This  settle 
ment  has  been  called  Gloucester. 

In  the  following  year,  Mr.  Kendall,  one  of  the  mission 
aries,  on  his  return  to  England,  brought  with  him  the  above- 
mentioned  chief,  Shunghee,  and  another,  named  Whykato, 
who  received  much  liberal  attention  in  London,  and  were 
admitted  to  an  interview  with  his  majesty  :  but  as  these 
Savages  had  not  made  sufficient  advances  in  civilization  to 
enable  them  to  appreciate  our  institutions  and  manners^ 
their  visit  proved  in  its  consequences  detrimental  not  only 
to  the  interests  of  the  missions  but  to  their  country  in 
general. 

Shunghee  was  a  man  of  a  warlike  spirit,  and  after  his 
return  to  New  Zealand,  in  1821,  it  appeared  that  the  great 
object  which  he  and  his  companion  had  in  view  in  coming 
to  Europe  was  to  procure  arms  and  ammunition.  To  aug- 
ment the  stores  which  they  had  by  some  means  obtained 
when  in  England,  they  sold  at  Port  Jackson,  on  their  return, 
the  greater  part  of  the  clothing  and  ironmongery  with  which 
the  Missionary  Society  had  furnished  them  at  a  great  ex- 
pense,  and  purchased  muskets,  powder,  and  ball.  With 
these  they  landed  in  July  in  the  Bay  of  Islands,  whence,  in 
September,  Shunghee  set  out  at  the  head  of  a  large  party, 
on  an  expedition  undertaken  for  the  purposes  of  ravage  and 
murder.  They  returned  in  December  following,  after  the 
destruction,  it  is  said,  of  a  thousand  of  their  comparatively 
defenceless  countrymen,  upon  three  hundred  of  whose  bo- 
dies they  feasted  in  the  field.  The  settlers  had  the  pain  to 
see  them  come  back  loaded  with  the  relics  of  their  cruelty, 
and  to  witness  the  murder  in  cold  blood  and  the  devouring 
i  of  some  of  their  prisoners.  Similar  expeditions  have  from 
time  to  time  succeeded,  but  amid  these  scenes  of  war  and 


236  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

bloodshed,  the  personal  security  of  the  missionaries  and 
settlers  was  not  for  several  years  affected. 

In  subsequent  visits  paid  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Marsden  a 
third  missionary  settlement  was  formed  at  Pyhea  on  the 
south  side  of  the  Bay  of  Islands,  since  called  Marsden's 
Vale,  and  he  manifested  particular  anxiety  that  the  impor- 
tant business  of  education  should  be  prosecuted  with  all 
possible  efficiency  and  despatch.  Upon  Ins  urgent  recom- 
mendation also  a  seminary  was  erected  near  his  own  house 
at  Paramatta  in  New  South  Wales,  for  the  instruction  of 
New  Zealand  youths,  with  the  children  of  the  missionaries, 
not  merely  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  but  also  in  shoe- 
makers' and  tailors'  work,  weaving,  spinning,  and  dressing 
flax,  gardening,  and  farming. 

A  fourth  settlement  has  been  established  at  Kauakaua, 
on  the  banks  of  a  river  of  the  same  name,  which  falls  into 
the  Bay  of  Islands,  and  about  thirty  miles  from  Kiddeekid- 
dee.  Schools  have  been  established  at  the  two  oldest  settle- 
ments, but  they  suffer  great  interruption  from  the  continual 
wars  which  unsettle  both  adults  and  children.  Meanwhile, 
however,  the  seeds  of  civilization  are  scattering  among 
the  natives  ;  their  manners,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Europeans,  begin  to  be  more  peaceable  :  many  of  them 
manifest  a  strong  desire  for  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren, and  some  of  the  latter  are  making  proficiency  in 
reading  and  writing.  A  grammar  of  their  language  has 
been  printed,  and  a  small  vessel  built  by  the  missionaries  to 
facilitate  their  visits  to  distant  parts  of  the  islands.  The 
success  of  their  agricultural  labours  and  the  increase  of 
their  cattle  cannot  fail  to  prove  ultimately  of  most  essen- 
tial advantage  to  the  country  in  general.  Some  of  the  na- 
tives indeed  have, after  their  example,  begun  to  grow  wheat. 

Recent  accounts  from  this  quarter,  however,  are  of  a 
discouraging  nature.  In  1823  the  Wesleyan  Missionary 
Society  formed  a  settlement  in  a  valley  about  seven  miles  up 
a  river  falling  into  Whangarooa  Bay,  north-west  of  the  Bay 
of  Islands,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  Wesley  Dale. 
Here  three  missionaries  and  an  assistant  were  stationed. 
They  had  erected  suitable  buildings  and  two  native  schools, 
and  were  just  acquiring  a  facility  in  speaking  the  language, 
when  various  circumstances,  arising  out  of  the  quarrels 


NEW    ZEALAND.  2c$< 

of  the  natives,  the  plunder  of  an  English  ship  in  the  Bay. 
which  one  of  the  missionaries  exerted  himself  to  rescue, 
and  the  death  of  a  neighbouring  chief,  named  George, 
placed  them  in  a  situation  peculiarly  critical  and  dange- 
rous. The  notions  of  satisfaction  among  the  New  Zea- 
landers,  life  for  life,  blood  for  blood,  are  deep  and  deadly  : 
the  father  of  George  was  killed  many  years  since  in  the 
affair  of  the  ship  Boyd,  the  destruction  of  which  was  insti- 
gated by  George  himself,  and  the  notion  which  haunted 
him  in  his  last  sickness  was  that  he  had  not  taken  sufficient 
satisfaction  of  the  Europeans  for  his  father's  life.  This 
satisfaction  he  left  to  be  executed  by  his  heir,  in  the  plun- 
der and  probable  destruction  of  the  missionaries  at  Wesley 
Dale.  The  more  friendly  natives  of  the  Bay  of  Islands, 
Shunghee's  people,  were  at  one  time  determined  to  fetch 
them  away  from  George's  tribe,  and  to  punish  that  chief 
for  the  plunder  of  the  ship  Mercury  ;  this  involved  them  in 
new  anxieties,  and  they  were  for  several  months  in  frequent 
jeopardy  of  being  attacked  and  massacred.  A  calmer 
state  ofthings  succeeded  ;  but,  in  January  1327,  fresh  dis- 
turbances took  place  among  the  natives,  which  terminated 
in  the  destruction  of  the  settlement  at  Whangarooa.  Seve- 
ral of  the  Church  missionaries,  with  a  party  of  natives  from 
Kiddeekiddee,  went  to  the  assistance  of  their  friends, 
whom  they  brought  to  the  latter  place.  In  these  commo- 
tions it  appears  that  Shunghee,  the  chief  protector  of  the 
Church  missionaries,  was  severely  wounded  ;  and  those 
missionaries,  though  under  no  fear  for  their  personal  safety, 
were  apprehensive  that  their  settlements  would  share  the 
fate  of  Wesley  Dale.  Under  these  circumstances  they 
deemed  it  expedient  to  send  to  New  South  Wales  every 
article,  not  absolutely  necessary  for  present  use,  but  to  re- 
main themselves  at  their  post  till  absolutely  driven  away. 
From  subsequent  communications,  however,  it  appear- 
that  the  natives  have  been  more  peaceable,  and  that  the 
British  missionaries  have  suffered  no  molestation. 


-38  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY 


CHAPTER  II. 

CONVERSION  OF  THE  SOCIETY  ISLANDERS    TO  CHRISTIANITY 
SURVEY  OF   THE    FRIENDLY    AND    SANDWICH    ISLANDS. 

Of  the  religions  of  the  ancient  world  the  doctrines  of 
Fohi  and  Muhamed  were  certainly  propagated  in  these 
parts  before  those  of  Christianity.  The  Oranbadjoos,  who 
rove  about  on  the  coasts  of  New  Guinea,  next  to  New  Hol- 
land the  largest  of  the  islands  of  South  India,  are  evidently 
of  Asiatic  origin.  Their  person,  their  language,  and  their 
religion,  much  as  each  may  have  gradually  degenerated 
from  its  primitive  type,  betray  this.  And  is  not  the  interval 
between  Malacca  and  New  Guinea  occupied  by  an  unin- 
terrupted chain  of  islands  great  and  small  ?  But  these 
needy  Savages,  without  permanent  abodes,  whose  dwell- 
ings  are  covered  canoes,  in  which  they  coast  along  the 
shore  to  the  mouths  of  rivers  abounding  in  fish,  care  very 
little  for  the  diffusion  of  their  religions  derived  fromArabia 
and  China. 

So  much  the  more  is  to  be  hoped  from  the  efforts  of  the 
Society  of  New  South  Wales  and  the  great  associations  in 
London  for  the  propagation  of  Christianity  in  this  insular 
portion  of  the  globe,  where  the  most  natural  state  of  man, 
as  in  Europe  the  artificial,  is  still  found  in  all  possible- 
shades  ;  where,  as  in  the  happy  islands  of  the  poets,  we 
meet  with  tribes  living  in  the  lap  of  plenty  and  voluptuous- 
ness, endowed  with  innocence  and  simplicity,  and  also 
beasts  in  human  shape  who  devour  their  own  species  : 
where  the  first  germs  of  social  order  are  discovered  in  the 
patriarchal  relations  and  likewise  the  most  barbarous  des- 
potism on  earth,  as  in  New  Georgia,  where  every  thing 
belongs  to  the  sovereign  of  the  island  and  to  the  subject 
nothing,  not  even  life,  and  where  certain  death  awaits  him 
who  merely  treads  on  the  shadow  of  the  monarch. 

The  most  brilliant  triumph  of  Christianity  in  the  regions 
of  South  India,  or  Australasia,  has  been  achieved  in  the 


SOCIETY   ISLAND.-.  239 

Society  Islands.  These  are  divided  into  two  groupes,  one 
of  which  is  now  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the  Geor- 
gian or  Windward  Islands,  consisting  of  Otaheite  and 
Eimeo,  both  subject  to  one  king.  The  other  groupe,  which 
retains  the  name  of  the  Society  Islands,  comprehends  Hua- 
heine,  Raiatea,  Tahaa,  Borabora.  Maupiti  or  Maurau,  and 
Maiaoiti,  which  have  their  respective  chiefs,  or  sovereigns. 
From  the  period  of  their  first  discovery,  these  islands  were 
especial  favourites  with  Europeans  for  the  beauty  of  their 
scenery,  as  well  as  for  the  elegant  persons  and  mild  man- 
ners of  their  inhabitants.  The  mutiny  of  the  crew  of  the 
English  ship,  Bounty,  who,  after  turning  their  commander 
adrift,  carried  the  vessel  to  one  of  these  islands,  proved 
the  unexpected  cause  of  a  rapid  diffusion  of  European 
notions,  sentiments,  and  institutions.  The  mutineers 
formed  connexions  with  Otaheitean  females,  and  taught 
their  relatives  and  acquaintance  the  English  language, 
English  manners,  and  the  Christian  religion. 

Before  any  European  had  visited  these  islands,  the  belief 
in  an  invisible  and  almighty  Supreme  Being  prevailed 
there.  To  this  Being,  named  Eatooa  Rahai,  whose 
throne  is  the  sun,  a  world  far  surpassing  the  earth  in 
splendour,  the  natives  addressed  their  prayers.  In  the  sun 
they  hoped  after  the  dissolution  of  the  body  to  find  the 
blissful  abode  of  happy  spirits.  The  nature  of  Eatooa  is 
mysterious  and  of  three  kinds.  He  is  called  Tone  de  Me~ 
dooa,  the  father  of  the  world  ;  they  also  make  mention  of 
Tooa  tee  teMyde,  God  in  the  Son,  and  of  a  winged  spirit, 
Mannoo  te  Hooa.  Each  island,  each  family,  the  sea,  has 
its  tutelar  deity.  In  these  islands  the  priests  are  the  ser- 
vants of  the  gods  and  the  expounders  of  their  will.  They 
require  offerings  and  frequently  human  sacrifices  at  the 
burial-places  or  morals,  where  the  spirits  of  the  deceased 
tarry  awhile  in  the  neighbourhood  of  their  former  bodies, 
concealed  in  the  wooden  images  set  up  near  the  graves  ; 
and  at  the  same  time  a  malicious  spirit,  whom  none  but  the 
priests  can  conciliate  and  direct,  takes  up  his  abode  in  a 
receptacle  in  which  the  sculls  of  the  dead  are  collected. 

Since  the  year  1796  the  London  Missionary  Society  has 
bestowed  serious  attention  on  the  propagation  of  Chris- 
tianity in  these  inlands.     The  ship  Duff  was  fitted  out  for 


240  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

the  conveyance  of  missionaries,  and  in  March  1797  the> 
arrived  at  Otaheite.  From  various  causes,  however,  and 
among  the  rest  the  powerful  seductions  to  which  the 
preachers  themselves  were  exposed,  their  doctrines  gained 
but  little  ground.  The  ignorance  of  the  natives,  and  the 
difficulty  of  making  them  understand  the  leading  tenets  of 
Christianity,  proved  another  great  obstacle. 

A  melancholy  picture  of  the  state  of  this  island  was 
drawn  by  Turnbull,  who  visited  it  between  the  years  1800 
and  1804.  The  population,  estimated  by  Captain  Cook 
in  1777  at  upward  of  200,000  souls,  had  then  dwindled, 
according  to  Turnbull,  to  5000,  owing  to  various  diseases 
and  to  the  unnatural  crime  of  infanticide.  Pomarre,  the 
king,  when  reproached  with  this  practice,  alleged  in  reply, 
that  if  all  the  children  born  were  to  be  reared  to  maturity, 
the  island  would  not  furnish  sufficient  food  for  their  support. 
The  erees,  or  nobles,  formed  a  society  of  the  most  licen- 
tious and  profligate  nature.  The  very  principle  of  their 
union  was  a  community  of  their  women,  and  the  murder 
at  the  moment  of  birth  of  all  their  issue  of  both  sexes. 
The  inferior  classes  were  influenced  by  the  example  of 
these  wretches,  and  it  was  computed  that  two-thirds  of 
the  births  were  thus  stifled. 

Pomarre,  son  of  the  king  of  that  name,  who  lived  at 
the  time  when  Captain  Wilson  brought  the  first  mission- 
aries to  the  island,  succeeded  his  father  in  1803  ;  and  after 
that  event  fixed  his  residence  near  the  mission-house  at 
Matavai  Bay,  where  he  frequently  passed  whole  days  in 
learning  to  read  and  write  ;  but  it  was  long  before  he  ma- 
nifested any  disposition  to  receive  religious  instruction. 
Possessing  an  intelligent  mind  and  a  good  disposition,  and 
inclined  to  religious  meditations,  Pomarre  had  been  a 
zealous  worshipper  of  the  gods.  By  his  command  altars 
were  erected,  numberless  gifts  and  offerings  made,  and 
even  human  victims  sacrificed  to  them.  One  of  the  mis- 
sionaries has  calculated  that  he  put  to  death  about  a 
thousand  persons  from  motives  of  piety.  As  soon  as  he 
had  learned  better  notions  of  divine  things  he  embraced 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity  with  equal  ardour,  and  became 
himself  an  active  apostle  among  his  people,  even  at  the 
risk  of  his  throne  and  life. 


SOCIETY   ISLANDS.  241 

In  1808  the  king  was  involved  in  a  contest  with  a  party 
of  his  subjects,  who  sought  to  deprive  him  of  his  authority. 
On  this  occasion  the  houses  and  gardens  of  the  mission- 
aries were  destroyed,  and  they,  as  well  as  Pomarre,  were 
obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  the  island  of  Eimeo.  In  the 
following  year,  as  there  was  no  prospect  of  the  king's 
reinstatement,  all  the  missionaries  excepting  two  repaired 
to  New  South  Wales,  whence  rive  of  them  returned  in 
1811  at  the  urgent  solicitation  of  Pomarre,  who  was  be- 
ginning to  recover  his  lost  power.  The  king  now  de- 
clared his  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion, 
manifested  a  much  warmer  attachment  to  the  mission- 
aries, and  sent  to  them  all  his  family  idols,  desiring  that 
they  would  either  throw  them  into  the  fire,  or  transmit 
them  to  Europe,  "  that  the  people  of  England  might  see 
what  foolish  gods  the  Otaheiteans  formerly  worshipped.'" 
They  were  accordingly  sent  to  England,  and  are  now  pre* 
served  in  the  museum  of  the  London  Missionary  Society. 

The  influence  and  example  of  Pomarre  operated  with 
such  effect  that,  in  1814,  about  fifty  of  the  natives  had 
renounced  idolatry  and  embraced  the  Christian  religion  ; 
and  the  number  of  converts  increased  so  rapidly  as  to 
amount  in  the  following  year  to  five  hundred.  Among 
these  were  several  chiefs  and  the  king's  principal  coun- 
sellor, who  had  assumed  in  baptism  the  name  of  Christo- 
pher Farefau.  The  ratiras,  or  chiefs  of  districts,  the 
priests  of  the  ancient  gods,  and  all  their  adherents,  beheld 
with  indignation  and  astonishment  the  number  of  the 
Sure  Atooa,  or  "  praying  people,"  as  they  termed  the 
Christians,  increasing  in  all  quarters.  They  resolved  to 
exterminate  them,  while  Farefau  boldly  strove  by  word 
and  deed  to  suppress  the  ancient  idolatry,  and  won  over 
■he  chiefs  of  several  neighbouring  islands  to  the  sacred 
cause.  At  length  the  champions  of  the  old  system,  after 
disagreeing  among  themselves  and  partly  destroying  one 
another,  furiously  attacked  the  Christians  during  divine 
service  :  a  battle  ensued,  in  which  Pomarre  and  his  ad- 
herents  i::uned  a  complete  victory.  Farefau,  by  the  king'fc 
command,  overthrew  the  morais,  the  images  of  the  deities, 
md  the  holy  trees  ;  and  the  unexampled  clemency  with 
h  Pomarre  treated  the  vanquished  and  their  fateilies 
c2\ 


-42  SURVEY   OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

produced  a  powerful  impression  on  the  minds  of  his  foes. 
In  this  struggle  it  was  demonstrated  that  the  Christian 
faith  had  struck  deeper  root  and  spread  more  widely  than 
its  enemies  imagined  and  than  the  British  missionaries 
were  themselves  aware  of.  Many  chiefs  and  priests 
publicly  renounced  their  old  religion  and  acknowledged 
their  better  convictions ;  and  Pomarre's  authority  was 
never  afterwards  called  in  question. 

In  1817  the  king  went  over  to  Eimeo,  where  a  printing- 
press  had  been  set  up,  and  composed  with  his  own  hands, 
under  the  direction  of  the  missionaries,  the  alphabet  at 
the  beginning  of  the  Otaheitean  spelling-book,  being  the 
first  operation  of  the  kind  ever  attempted  in  his  dominions. 
In  July,  in  the  same  year,  the  missionaries  stated  that  the 
whole  of  the  inhabitants  of  Otaheite.  Eimeo,  Tabooya- 
manoo,  Huaheine,  Raiatea,  Toobouai,  Borabora  (the 
birth-place  of  Farefau,  who  died  in  Otaheite  in  1818), 
and  Maurua,  had  renounced  idolatry  ;  that  the  immolation 
of  human  victims  and  infanticide  were  suppressed  ;  that 
Christianity  had  become  general  throughout  those  islands  ; 
that  chapels  had  arisen  instead  of  the  destroyed  morais, 
sixty-six  having  been  built  in  Otaheite  and  sixteen  in 
Eimeo  ;  that  the  sabbath  day  was  strictly  observed  ;  that 
about  four  thousand  persons  had  learned  to  read  and  many 
of  them  to  write  ;  and  that  part  of  the  Gospels  translated 
into  the  native  languages  was  then  printing. 

This  great  work  was  supported  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Marsden  with  his  characteristic  activity.  So  early  as  the 
year  1815  he  sent  from  Port  Jackson  the  historical  books 
<>f  the  New  Testament,  catechisms,  and  hymn-books,  in 
i  he  language  of  these  islands  ;  and  he  caused  many  copies 
>f  the  history  of  the  Old  Testament  in  the  Otaheitean 
language  to  be  printed  in  New  South  Wales.  The 
London  Missionary  Society  equipped  in  1816  eight  new 
missionaries,  who  took  out  with  them  materials  for  esta- 
blishing a  printing-ofEcc  ;  and  by  increasing  the  number  ot 
presses  and  erecting  numerous  schools  the  progress  of 
civilization  was  almost  incredibly  accelerated  in  Otaheite 
arid  Eimeo.  The  names  of  John  Davis,  William  Scott, 
Henry  Nott,  James  Hay  ward,  Samuel  Tessier,  William 
Henry,  Charles  Wilson,  and  Henry  Bic.knell,  will  be  justly 


SOCIETY   ISLANDS.  243 

preserved   by  history,  as   those  of    the    first  successful 
apostles  of  the  Christian  faith  in  the  Society  Islands. 

The  principal  church  built  by  Pomarre  at  Papaoa  in 
Otaheite  may  vie  in  magnitude,  at  least,  with  some  of  the 
more  eminent  temples  of  Europe,  being  seven  hundred 
and  twelve  feet  in  length,  and  fifty  broad  ;  and  having  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  windows  and  twenty-seven  doors. 
It  was  consecrated  in  May  1819,  in  the  presence  of  be- 
tween five  and  six  thousand  of  the  natives.  A  few  day? 
afterwards  Pomarre  appeared  in  the  character  of  legisla- 
tor :  in  a  general  assembly  of  the  chiefs  and  people,  he 
su omitted  to  them  a  written  code  of  laws  which  were 
unanimously  approved,  and  on  the  succeeding  Sunday  he 
was  solemnly  baptized. 

Who  could  have  anticipated  in  Captain  Cook's  time 
the  promulgation  of  printed  laws  at  Otaheite,  and  which, 
as  we  are  assured,  the  native  with  few  exceptions  are 
capable  of  reading!  These  laws  are  comprised  in  nine- 
teen articles  under  the  following  heads: — L.  Of  Murder. 
2.  Of  Robbery.  3.  Of  Depredations  committed  by 
Swine.  4.  Of  Stolen  Property.  5.  Of  Lost  Property. 
6.  Of  Buying  and  Selling  7.  Of  Sabbath- breaking. 
8.  Of  Stirring  up  War.  9.  Of  a  Man  with  Two  Wives. 
10.  Of  Wives  who  were  cast  orf  before  the  Reception  of 
the  Gospel.  11.  Of  Adultery.  12.  Of  Forsaking  a 
Wife  or  Husband.  13.  Of  not  Providing  Food  for  a 
Wife.  14.  Of  Marriage,  15  Of  Raising  False  Reports. 
16.  Of  the  Judges.  17.  Of  Trying  Causes.  J8.  Of 
the  Courts  of  Justice.     19    Of  the  Laws  in  general. 

The  following  specimens  will  serve  to  show  the  spirit  a& 
well  as  the  manner  in  which  these  laws  are  conceived. 

"  Of  Buying  and  Selling. 

u  When  a  person  buys  any  property,  let  him  consider 
well  before  he  oives  his  propertv  in  exchange  for  the  pro- 
perty of  another.  If  he  exchanges  property  with  another 
and  has  taken  the  exchanged  property  away  and  shortly 
after  wishes  to  have  his  own  returned,  his  wish  shall  not 
be  granted  unless  the  other  party  is  agreeable.  If  any 
damage  be  found  on  the  property,  which  had  not  beer* 


244  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

discovered  at  the  time  of  exchanging,  it  may  be  returned, 
but  if  the  damage  was  known  at  the  time  of  exchanging, 
it  shall  not  be  returned.  If  a  person  exchanges  property 
for  another  that  is  sick,  the  sick  person  shall  be  allowed 
to  see  the  property  received  in  exchange,  and  if  he  does 
not  like  it,  it  shall  be  returned.  Persons  must  not  under- 
value or  cry  down  the  property  of  others  ;  it  is  very  bad. 
The  persons  who  are  buying  and  selling,  let  themselves 
buy  and  sell,  without  the  interference  of  those  who  have 
nothing  at  all  to  do  with  the  matter." 

"  Of  Sabbath- Breaking. 

"  It  is  a  great  sin  in  the  eye  of  God  to  work  on  the 
Sabbath-day.  Let  that  which  agrees  with  the  word  of 
God  be  done,  and  that  which  does  not,  let  that  be  left 
alone.  No  houses  or  canoes  must  be  built,  no  land  must 
be  cultivated,  nor  any  work  done  ;  nor  must  persons  go 
any  long  distance  on  a  Sabbath-day.  If  they  desire  to 
hear  a  missionary  preach  they  may  go,  although  it  be  a 
long  distance  ;  but  let  not  the  excuse  of  going  to  hear  the 
word  of.  God  be  the  cover  for  some  other  business  ;  let 
not  this  be  done— it  is  evil  Those  who  desire  to  hear 
missionaries  preach  on  a  Sabbath,  let  them  come  near  at 
hand  on  the  Saturday  ;  that  is  good.  Persons  on  the  first 
offence  shall  be  warned  ;  but  if  they  be  obstinate  and 
persist  they  shall  be  compelled  to  do  work  for  the  king." 

"  Of  Raising  False  Reports. 

"If  a  person  raises  a  false  report  of  another,  as  of  mur- 
der or  blasphemy,  stealing,  or  of  any  thing  bad,  that  per- 
son commits  a  great  sin  The  punishment  of  those  who 
do  so  is  thus  :  he  must  make  a  path  four  miles  long  and 
four  yards  wide,  he  must  clear  all  the  grass,  &c.  away  and 
make  it  a  good  path.  If  a  person  raises  a  false  report  of 
another,  but  which  may  be  less  injurious  than  that  of  blas- 
phemy, &c.  he  shall  make  a  path  one  or  two  miles  in 
length  and  four  yards  wide.  If  a  false  report  be  raised 
about  some  very  trifling  affair  no  punishment  shall  be 
awarded      When  the  paths  are  made,  the  person  who  is 


SOCIETY    ISLANDS. 

;hc  owner  of  the  land  where  the  ways  are  made  shall  keep 
them  in  repair.  Let  them  he  high  in  the  middle,  that  the 
water  in  wet  weather  may  run  down  on  each  side.  Should 
the  relations  of  the  person  who  is  required  to  make  a  path 
wish  to  assist  him,  they  are  at  liberty  to  do  so.  The 
chiefs  of  the  land  where  the  man  is  at  work  must  provide 
him  food  :  he  must  not  be  ill-treated  ;  he  must  not  be 
compelled  to  work  without  ceasing  from  morning  till  night ; 
hut  when  he  is  tired  let  him  cease  and  begin  again  next 
day  ;  and  when  he  has  finished  what  he  was  appointed  to 
do,  he  has  fulfilled  bis  punishment  The  judges  shall  make 
known  to  persons  raising  false  reports  the  punishment  they 
:-hall  undergo.1' 

Article  sixteen  of  this  code  contains  the  names  of  the 
judges,  four  hundred  in  number,  and  the  eighteenth  and 
nineteenth  prescribe  that  courts  of  justice  shall  be  erected 
all  round  Otaheite  and  Eimeo  ;  that  they  shall  be  used 
solely  for  the  administration  of  justice  ;  that  a  printed  copy 
of  the  laws  shall  be  posted  on  every  such  house  of  judgment; 
and  that  the  chiefs  in  the  several  districts  shall  support  the 
execution  of  them.     Murder  is  made  punishable  with  death, 

The  people  of  Huaheine  have  gone  a  step  farther.  A 
code  of  laws,  adopted  also  by  the  chiefs  of  the  islands  of 
Raiatea  and  Taha,  has  been  printed  there  :  it  consists  oi 
iwenty-five  articles,  the  last  of  which  institutes  the  trial  by 
jury ! 

At  Raiatea,  where  a  mission  was  commenced  in  the 
autumn  of  1818,  the  spot  selected  for  the  purpose  was  then 
a  wilderness ;  nor  were  there  more  than  two  or  three 
houses  in  the  district.  In  less  than  a  year  the  aspect  of 
the  place  was  totally  changed  :  instead  of  an  almost  im- 
passable wood,  it  presented  a  fine  open  scene,  with  a  range 
of  dwellings  extending  nearly  two  miles  along  the  beach 
and  inhabited  by  a  thousand  natives.  The  king  had  a  sub- 
stantial and  commodious  house,  wattled  and  plastered,  with 
boarded  floors,  and  divided  into  several  apartments ;  and 
he  was  the  first  native  of  the  South  Sea  Islands  who  pos- 
sessed such  a  habitation.  The  missionaries  strenuously 
and  successfully  exerted  themselves  to  induce  the  people 
to  follow  this  example,  and  to  abandon  the  pernicious 
"$fom  of  herding  together  in  numerous  families  unde^-  T-»< 
21* 


1246  SURVEY    OP   CHRISTIANITY. 

same  roof.  They  instructed  them  in  the  art  of  boat-build- 
ing, in  sawing  wood  and  in  carpenters'  and  smiths'  work  ; 
and  established  a  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  the 
Usefu-1  Arts,  and  schools  for  adults  and  children.  It  was 
not  long  before  two  bridges  of  considerable  extent,  which 
would  do  credit  to  any  village  in  England,  were  erected  in 
this  island. 

Here  too  the  sugar-cane  and  tobacco  are  cultivated  in 
enclosed  plantations,  and  the  produce  of  both  is  of  the  best, 
quality.  The  latter  yields  three  or  four  crops  in  the  year, 
the  former  something  more  than  one,  and  there  is  a  mill  for 
*hc  extraction  and  manufacture  of  the  sugar.  The  people 
have  also  learned  to  make  excellent  salt  from  sea-water  by 
boiling.  Most  of  the  men  are  expert  at  making  chairs, 
tables,  sofas,  and  the  like,  being  anxious  to  possess  every 
article  of  furniture  necessary  to  enable  them  to  live  in  the 
English  style. 

The  picture  of  the  improvement  of  the  natives  of  Hua- 
heine  arid  their  progress  in  civilization,  presented  by  the 
missionaries  in  1821,  is  equally  pleasing.  "Several  oJ 
them,"  say  they,  "have  finished  very  neatly  plastered 
dwelling-houses  with  doors  and  windows  and  are  boarding 
their  bed-rooms :  many  other  dwellings  on  the  same  plan 
are  building.  Considerable  progress  has  also  been  made 
»n  cultivation,  many  acres  around  us  being  enclosed  and 
■stocked  with  food  of  various  kinds.  Useful  tools,  pit-saws. 
&,c.  together  with  paper  and  writing  materials,  are  in  great 
demand  among  the  people.  The  females  especially  art- 
much  improved  in  their  habits  and  appearance.  When 
f.hey  procure  a  few  yards  of  foreign  cloth,  it  is  not  as  for- 
merly bound  round  their  loins,  but  made  up  into  a  gown  : 
and  they  are  instructed  in  needlework,  so  that  a  consider- 
able number  at  each  station  are  able  to  make  themselves 
neat  and  modest  dresses.  They  have  been  taught  also  to 
make  neat  hats  and  bonnets  in  the  European  form,  which 
*rc  now  very  generally  worn.  The  hats  are  made  of  the 
leaves  of  a  rush  very  common  in  the  islands,  and  the  bon- 
ds of  the  inner  bark  of  the  hibiscus."  Makine,  King  of 
Fluaheine,  appears  to  have  been  as  zealous  in  promoting 
he  civilization  of  his  people  as  Pomarre  in  Otaheife. 
U   Borobonu  the   natives   have   made   extensive 


SOCIETY    ISLANDS.  247 

excellent  roads,  and  erected  a  noble  stone  pier,  which  is 
carried  out  nearly  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  into 
the  sea.  There  is  another  pier  at  Maurua,  from  thirty  to 
forty  t'ect  in  width,  and  extending  tive  hundred  and  twenh 
feet  from  the  shore. 

Among  the  other  sources  of  improvement  to  which  the 
missionaries  in  Otaheite  directed  their  attention  was  the 
cultivation  of  the  sugar-cane,  cotton,  and  coffee.  Sugar- 
works  were  accordingly  erected  and  a  tract  of  land 
cleared  for  planting  the  cane,  but  this  plan  was  suddenly 
frustrated,  when  Pomarre  informed  the  missionaries  that 
the  captain  of  a  vessel  which  had  recently  touched  at  the 
islands  had  intimated  to  the  natives  that,  if  the  concern 
should  prosper,  powerful  persons  would  come  and  esta- 
blish themselves  in  the  islands,  kill  or  make  slaves  of  the 
people,  and  seize  their  possessions  ;  and  that  the  captain 
appealed  to  what  had  taken  place  in  the  West  Indies  as  a 
proof  of  the  truth  of  his  affirmation.  The  king  added 
that,  apprehending  serious  consequences  from  these  alarm- 
ing reports,  he  could  not  consent  to  the  execution  of  the 
plan  in  his  islands,  unless  on  a  very  limited  scale;  and. 
in  order  to  satisfy  Pomarre  and  to  quiet  the  minds  of  the 
people,  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  relinquish  the  under- 
taking altogether.  A  cotton  manufactory,  however,  has 
been  established  in  Eimeo ;  and  a  quantity  of  strong 
calico,  which  is  preferred  by  the  natives  to  that  brought  by 
ships,  has  been  made  there. 

Pomarre,  under  whose  auspices  so  important  a  revolu- 
tion has  been  affected  in  this  portion  of  the  globe,  died  in 
December  1821,  at  the  age  of  about  forty-seven  years,  soon 
after  the  arrival  of  a  deputation  sent  out  by  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  to  examine  into  the  state  of  its  settle- 
ments in  the  South  Seas.  His  infant  son  was  acknow- 
ledged to  be  his  successor,  and  placed  for  education  at  the 
academy  established  by  the  missionaries  at  Bogue's  Har- 
bour, Eimeo,  where  he  too  died  in  January  1827,  after  an 
illness  of  a  few  days. 

The  deputation  mentioned  above,  in  their  communication 
to  the  Directors  of  the  Society,  thus  express  themselves- 
m  the  subject  of  the  change  which  has  taken  place  i.r 
I  Itaheite  •  — 


14$  SURVEY    OF    CHRISTIANITY. 

il  A  nation  of  pilferers  have  become  eminently  trust" 
worthy.  ,  A  people  formerly  universally  addicted  to  las- 
civiousness  in  all  its  forms  have  become  modest  and  vir* 
tuous  in  the  highest  degree.  Those  who  a  few  years  ago 
despised  all  forms  of  religion,  except  their  own  horrid  and 
cruel  superstitions,  have  universally  declared  their  appro- 
bation of  Christianity  ;  study  diligently  those  parts  of  the 
Christian  Scriptures  which  have  been  translated  for  them, 
ask  earnestly  for  more  and  appear  conscientiously  to  regulate 
themselves  by  those  sacred  oracles  under  the  direction  of 
their  teachers,  whose  self-denying  zeal  and  perseverance 
have  been  almost  as  remarkable  as  the  success  with  which 
God  has  been  pleased  to  honour  them. 

"  Better  houses  and  chapels  have  been  built,  or  are  in  pre- 
paration for  being  built,  at  nearly  every  station — rapid  im 
provement  in  reading  and  writing — European  dresses  gra 
dually  superseding  the  Taheitian — the  chiefs  ingeniously 
and  diligently  building  their  own  boats  in  the  European 
form,  with  European  tools— many  cultivating  tobacco 
and  sugar,  and  nearly  all  collecting  and  preparing  cocoa- 
nut  oil. 

"  At  that  time  a  road  intended  to  go  round  the  island 
had  been  made  to  a  considerable  extent  by  persons 
doomed  by  the  new  laws  to  that  labour  for  misdemea- 
nours. Formerly  there  was  no  road  in  any  part  of  the 
island  but  the  narrow  winding  tracks  by  which  the  natives 
found  their  way  from  one  place  to  another." 

Of  Huaheine  they  say  : — "  Everything  bears  the  mark  of 
great  improvement  among  the  natives  ;  their  enclosures, 
their  plastered  houses,  their  manners,  and  especially  their 
dress,  which  is  as  much  European  as  they  can  obtain  by 
purchase  the  means  of  making  it.  In  the  noble  place 
of  worship,  which  is  well  built  and  plastered,  well  floored 
with  timber,  and  of  which  a  considerable  part  is  neatly 
pewed,  the  chiefs  and  great  numbers  of  the  people  were 
Iressed  quite  in  the  English  manner  from  head  to  foot/ 

The  sentiments  of  the  natives  themselves  on  the  im- 
provement of  their  condition  may  be  collected  from  the 
following  passages  of  addresses,  delivered  at  a  genera. 
meeting  of  one  of  the  Auxiliary  Missionary  Societies  whi 
hey  have  instituted  • 


SOCIETY     ISLANDS.  24  J 

u  Let  us  remember  our  former  state — how  many  chil- 
dren were  killed  and  how  few  kept  alive—  hut  now  none 
are  killed  ;  the  cruel  practice  is  abolished.  Parents  hare 
now  the  pleasure  of  seeing  their  three,  fi\e,  and  some 
tbeir  ten  children,  the  principal  part  of  which  would  not 
have  been  alive,  had  not  God  sent  his  word  to  us. 

"Formerly  the  servants  of  the  king  would  enter  a  per- 
son's house  and  commit  the  greatest  depredations  ;  the 
master  would  sit  as  a  poor  captive  and  look  on,  without 
daring  lo  say  a  word  :  they  would  seize  Ins  bundle  of  .'loth, 
kill  Ins  largest  pigs,  pluck  the  best  of  Ins  bread-fruit,  take 
the  largest  of  his  taros.  Ins  finest  sugar-canes,  and  the  ripest 
of  his  bananas,  and  even  pull  up  the  very  posts  of  his  house 
for  fire-wood  to  cook  them  with.  Is  there  not  a  man  pre- 
sent who  was  obliged,  and  actually  did  bury  his  new  canoe 
under  the  sand,  to  secure  it  from  these  desperate  men  ? — 
But  now  all  these  customs  .ire  abolished  ;  we  are  now  living 
in  peace  and  without  fear.  We  have  no  need  to  place  our 
pigs  underneath  our  beds,  and  our  little  rolls  of  cloth  for  our 
pillows,  to  secure  them  :  our  pigs  may  run  about  u  here  they 
please,  and  our  little  property  may  hang  in  the  different 
parts  of  our  house  and  no  one  touch.es  it.  We  are  now 
sleeping  on  comfortable  bedsteads  ;  we  have  now  decent 
seats  (sofasj  to  sit  on  ;  \ve  have  now  neat  plastered  houses 
to  dwell  in,  and  the  little  property  ws  have  we  can  now 
call  our  own/1 

In  this  work  of  civilization  the  press  acts  a  most  impor- 
tant part,  and  the  missionaries  have  u£ed  great  industry  in 
the  employment  of  so  powerful  an  auxiliary.  They  have 
printed  in  the  Otaheitean  language  various  elementary 
works  and  of  some  of  them  large  and  repeated  impressions  ; 
the  revised  Code  of  Laws,  Reports  of  the  Auxiliary  Mis- 
sionary Society,  and  nearly  the  whole*  of  the  books  of  the 
New  Testament.  Other  portions  of  Scripture  in  the  native 
tongue  are  in  progress,  and  the  compilation  of  an  English 
and  Otafieitean  Dictionary  is  co  nmenced  A  public  libra- 
ry for  the  Georgian  islands  has  been  formed  at  Brewer's 
Point,  Otaheite  :  Auxiliary  Societies  in  support  of  the  mis- 
sions have  been  (bunded  in  several  of  the  islands  ;  and  such 
is  the  zeal  with  which  they  are  supported,  that  the  produce 
of  the  contributions  in  1821,  consisting  chiefly  of  cocoa-nut 


250  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

oil,  added  upward  of  1800Z.  sterling  to  the  funds  of  the  pa- 
rent institution. 

Such  have  been  the  consequences  of  the  introduction  of 
Christianity  into  these  islands  ;  and  it  must  afTord  unfeigned 
pleasure  to  every  philanthropic  mind  to  learn,  that  the  sub- 
stantial blessings  conferred  by  it  are  not  only  shared  by  the 
neighbours  of  those  by  whom  its  doctrines  were  first  em- 
braced, but  are  rapidly  spreading  to  more  distant  quarters. 
We  are  assured  that  there  are  already  twenty-one  islands  in 
these  seas,  in  which  the  Gospel  has  been  embraced  and  in 
which  not  an  idolater  remains. 

Among  the  islands  in  this  predicament  are  the  groupes 
known  by  the  names  of  die  Paumotu;  Raivaivai,  and  Har- 
vey Islands,  in  all  which  the  first  sends  of  Christianity  have 
been  sown  by  native  teachers  from  •  Haheite. 

The  first  of  these  groupes,  formerly  called  Palliser 
Islands,  trie  chief  of  which  is  \naa,  is  situated  about  250 
miles  east  of  Otaheite.  The  second,  said  to  consist  of  six 
islands,  and  named  after  the  principal  of  them,  lies  about 
500  miles  southward  of  the  same  island;  and  the  harvey 
Islands,  the  most  important  of  the  three,  are  distant  about 
600  miles  in  a  west-south-west  direction.  They  consist  of 
eight  islands,  containing  a  population  exceeding  that  of  the 
Society  Islands  by  two  or  three  thousand  souls,  tier© 
within  two  years  a  most  extraordinary  change  lias  been 
effected,  and  that  solely  by  the  ministry  of  native  teachers, 
eleven  of  whom  are  stationed  in  thisgroUpe.  Rarotonga, 
the  inhabitants  of  which  are  estimated  at  between  six  and 
seven  thousand,  was  formerly  governed  by  three  kings,  or 
principal  chiefs,  between  whom  frequent  and  sanguinary 
wars  were  Waged  ;  but  since  the  introduction  of  Christianity, 
the  whole  authority  is  vested  by  universal  consent  in  one  of 
the  three,  and  thus  contention  for  power,  that  apple  of  dis- 
cord, has  been  wisely  cast  away  by  these  islanders.  Can- 
nibalism, infanticide,  ami  idolatry  have  erased ;  and  their 
principal  idol  has  been  sent  to  England  and  deposited  in 
the  museum  of  the  London  Missionary  Society.  Chapels 
have  been  erected  throughout  the  groupe,  schools  estab- 
lished, numerous  plastered  dwellings  built,  and  many  of 
them  provided  with  furniture  in  the  European  fashion  ;  the 
people  are  decently  clothed  and  industrious  in  the  cultiva, 


FRIENDLY    ISLANDS.  251 

lion  of  the  ground  ;  nay,  in  the  island  of  Aitutake,  they 
have  already  constructed  a  coral  pier,  '>00  feet  in  length, 
and  18  in  breadth.  At  Mautii,  where  the  frigate  La  Blonde 
touched  on  her  return  from  the  Sandwich  islands,  her  com- 
mander, Lord  Byron,  and  his  officers,  were  highly  pleased 
with  the  neatness  of  the  church  and  dwellings  of  the  native 
teaches  and  the  state  of  the  people  in  general. 

According  to  the  latest  accounts  received  from  the  South 
Seas,  preparations  are  making  to  plant  native  teachers  in 
the  Marquesas,  the  I'eejee,  and  the  Tonga  or  Friendly 
IslanJs.  it  was  at  Tongataboo,  the  principal  of  the  latter, 
that  in  17;  7  ten  missionaries  were  settled  by  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  three  of  whom  fell  victims  to  intestine 
commotions  and  the  ferocity  of  some  of  the  natives.  Since 
that  period  we  have  received  a  very  circumstantial  account 
of  the  Character,  manners,  customs,  language,  and  religion 
of  these  people  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  William  Mariner,  who. 
during  a  residence  of  some  years  in  this  groupe,  enjoyed 
peculiarly  favourable  opportunities  of  making  himself  inti- 
mately acquainted  with  them.  He  speaks  in  high  terms  of 
the  extreme  cleanliness,  the  extraordinary  ingenuity,  and 
the  many  excellent  qualities,  of  the  Tonga  islanders ;  among 
whom  much  greater  respect  is  paid  to  the  sex,  and  the  fe- 
male character  is  in  consequence  far  more  estimable,  than 
in  the  other  islands  of  the  South  Seas  to  which  the  light  of 
Christianity  has  not  yet  penetrated.  Here  have  long  sub- 
sisted firmly  established  social  relations,  princes,  gradations 
of  ranks,  a  regular  agriculture,  traffic  by  barter,  and  respect 
for  property.  Here  is  found  the  belief  in  superior  and  infe- 
rior deities  and  in  immortality  :  but  here  too  are  found 
greedy  and  ambitious  priests  and  human  sacrifices. 

These  accounts  also  state  that  between  forty  and  fifty 
native  teachers  from  the  Georgian  and  Society  Islands  are 
already  engaged  in  communicating  the  Gospel  to  the  in- 
habitants of  islands  more  or  less  distant  from  their  own  \ 
and  at  least  fifty  more  are  ready  to  go  forth  on  the  same 
important  mission. 

While  this  extraordinary  revolution  is  proceeding  in  the 
^outh  Pacific,  a  change  not  les3  astonishing  has  been  com- 
menced in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  in  the  North,  the  largest 
of  which,  Owhyhee,  or  as  it  is  now  written,  Hawaii,  ac 


252  SURVEY    OF   CIIKISTIAN-ITY. 

quired  a  melancholy  celebrity  by  the  death  of  Captain 
Cook,  the  great  circumnavigator.  The  groupe  consists  of 
ten  islands,  two  of  which,  however,  are  but  bare  uninhabited 
rocks  The  population  of  the  other  eight,  estimated  by 
Cook  at  400,000,  Las  been  reduced  by  w  ar,  pestilence,  and 
vice,  and  is  now  estimated  at  between  130,000  and  150,000, 
of  which  number  Hawaii  contains  85.000,  and  Oahu,  or 
Woahoo,  20,000. 

The  narrative  of  Captain  Cook's  third  voyage  introduced 
to  the  civilized  world  a  young  chief,  whose  ambition,  se- 
conded by  his  politic  encouragement  of  European  settlers, 
had  raised  him,  at  the  time  of  Vancouver's  visit,  in  1794, 
to  the  sovereignty  of  Hawaii.  With  a  view  probably  to 
confirm  and  consolidate  his  newly  acquired  authority, 
Tammehameha,  in  an  assembly  ol  his  principal  chiefs  on 
board  Vancouver's  ship,  the  Discovery,  made  a  ibrmal  ces- 
sion of  the  island  to  the  king  of  Great  Britain,  with  the  un- 
derstanding, that  no  interference  should  take  place  in  the 
religion,  government,  and  domestic  economy  of  the  natives. 
He  then  began  to  direct  his  attention  towards  the  creation 
of  a  naval  force,  for  the  purpose  of  prosecuting  his  plans 
against  the  other  islands,  which  were  at  that  time  governed 
by  independent  chiefs  He  purchased  fire-arms  and  ships 
of  the  English  and  x\itiericans,  built  smaller  vessels  himself, 
and  subdued  the  islands  of  Maui,  Morokai,  and  Woahoo,  in 
the  latter  of  which  he  afterwards  fixed  his  residence.  The 
chief  of  Tauai  voluntarily  Submitted,  and  thus  by  degrees 
the  whole  groupe  was  reduced  under  the  authority  of  Tarn 
mehameha. 

At  the  period  of  Kotzebue's  visit  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  this  sovereign  possessed  a  large  three-masted  ship 
and  a  brig  capable  of  carrying  eighteen  guns  ;  and  his  resi- 
dence at  Honoruru,  in  the  island  of  Woahoo,  was  defended 
by  a  fort  mounting  thirty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  guarded 
night  and  day  by  two  hundred  men.  Here  he  lived  in  the 
European  fashion,  and  had  engaged  in  his  service  manyEhg 
lish  and  Americans,  whom  he  paid  in  lands,  to  which  a 
certain  number  of  the  natives  were  attached.  In  the 
prosecution  of  his  plans  Tammehameha  was  strenuously 
supported  by  Karaimokoo,  governor  of  Woahoo,  who  wa- 
familiarly  named  by  the  English,  Billy  Pitt,  on  accounl  ol 
iiis  influence  with  the  king. 


SANDWICH     ISLANDS.  2  >r 

Tammehamcha  expired  at  an  advanced  age,  in  the 
island  of  Hawaii  in  March  1819.  Aware  of  his  approach- 
ing dissolution,  he  assembled  round  him  the  chiefs  of  the 
different  islands,  and  exhorted  them  to  hold  sacred  his 
useful  institutions,  "  for  which,"  said  lie,  "  we  are  indebted 
to  the  white  men  who  have  come  to  reside  among  us.'' 
lie  enjoined  them  most  particularly  to  respect  these  stran 
gers,  to  hold  their  property  inviolate  and  to  continue  to 
them  the  rights  and  privileges  which  he  had  conferred. 
He  appointed  his  son,  Riho-riho,  his  successor,  and  left 
half  a  million  of  dollars,  chiefly  accumulated  by  traffic 
vith  Europeans,  besides  goods  and  armed  merchant- vessel? 
to  a  like  amount. 

In  consequence  of  the  accounts  of  the  change  pro- 
duced in  Otaheite  and  the  neighbouring  isles  successively 
brought  to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  the  chiefs  of  Hawaii. 
Woahoo,  and  Tauai,  renounced  their  idols  in  1813,  and 
committed  them  with  every  vestige  of  idolatry  to  the 
flames.  In  the  following  year  missionaries  from  the  Uni- 
ted States  of  America  arrived  at  Woahoo  and  formed  es 
tablishments  in  that  and  two  other  Islands. 

In  1822  the  members  of  the  deputation  sent  by  the 
London  Missionary  Society  to  the  South  Seas  were  in- 
duced to  accept  the  offer  of  a  free  passage  from  Huaheinc 
to  the  Sandwich  Islands,  made  to  them  by  Captain  Kent, 
of  his  Majesty's  cutter,  Mermaid,  and  took  with  them  a 
missionary,  Mr.  Ellis,  and  two  native  teachers,  with  the 
intention  of  leaving  them  at  the  Marquesas  on  their  return. 
On  their  arrival  at  Karakakooa  Bay,  Hawaaii,  Kooakeene, 
governor  of  the  island,  and  brother-in-law  to  Riho-riho, 
'•xpressed  an  earnest  desire  that  they  mi^ht  settle  there, 
as  he  wished  to  be  instructed  in  the  knowledge  of  the  true 
trod,  having  already  received  some  information  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  Christian  religion  from  an  Otaheitean.  The 
natives  in  general  manifested  the  like  desire  for  religious 
"instruction  and  to  he  taught  to  read  and  write. 

Captain  Kent's  real  errand  was  to  deliver  to  king  Tarn- 
mehameha  a  schooner  presented  to  him  by  his  Britannic 
Majesty,  as  a  token  of  acknowledgment  for  the  uniform 
attention  paid  by  him  to  English  vessels  touching  at  his 
islands  for  refreshments.  Before  these  instructions  could 
22 


254  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

be  carried  into  effect,  the  old  king  had  been  succeeded  by 
his  son  Riho-riho,  who  resided  in  Woahoo,  and  thither 
the  Mermaid  of  course  proceeded. 

Tamoree,  the  king  or  principal  chief  of  Tauai,  who 
had  shown  the  greatest  kindness  to  the  American  missiona- 
ries from  their  first  arrival  in  his  island,  happened  to  be  just 
at  this  time  at  Woahoo.  A  native  of  Otaheite,  who  had  left 
his  country  when  a  boy  and  been  absent  from  it  above  thirty 
years,  held  the  post  of  steward  to  a  brother  ofihe  queen's. 
This  man,  hearing  of  the  arrival  of  some  of  his  country- 
men at  Woahoo,  invited  them  to  his  house  and  discovered 
in  conversation  that  the  wife  of  one  of  them,  named  Au- 
na,  was  Ins  own  sister.  In  consequence  of  this  discovery, 
the  king  and  queen  of  Tauai  invited  the  Otaheiteans  to  be 
their  guests,  and  made  particular  inquiry  concerning  the 
state  of  things  in  the  Society  Islands.  The  result  was  an 
earnest  solicitation  that  Auna  and  his  wife  might  be  per- 
mitted to  remain  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  to  instruct  the 
people  "  in  the  word  of  God  and  the  good  way  to  heaven." 
Xot  only  was  this  request  complied  with,  but  it  was  agreed 
that  Mr.  Ellis  should  fetch  his  family  from  Huaheine  and 
also  settle  in  the  country.  This  missionary  accordingly 
applied  himself  with  diligence  to  the  study  of  the  language, 
and,  from  its  close  affinity  to  the  Otaheitean,  he  was  able 
in  two  months  to  speak  and  to  preach  in  it  with  ease  and 
fluency. 

It  was  not  long  before  Riho-riho  declared  his  formal  ac- 
ceptance of  wtthe  good  word,"  and  himself,  his  wives,  and 
a  great  number  of  chiefs,  were  receiving  instruction  in 
reading  and  writing,  so  that  the  royal  residence  and  the 
houses  of  the  chiefs  had  the  appearance  of  school-rooms. 
Before  the  deputation  left  the  Sandwich  Islands  the  king 
and  queen  of  Tauai,  accompanied  by  Auna,  made  a  tour 
round  the  island  of  Hawaii,  during  which  above  a  hundred 
idols  were  discovered  at  one  place,  in  caves  situated 
among  the  mountains,  where  they  had  been  concealed  on 
the  formal  abolition  of  idolatry  in  1819;  these  were  all 
burned  together,  and  many  more  were  destroyed  in  other 
parts  of  the  Island. 

In  the  same  year  (1822),  an  American  captain,  name^ 
Gardner,  thus  described  the  state  of  these  Islands  :  "  Th& 


SANDWICH    ISLANDS. 


255 


Sandwich  Islands  begin  to  have  a  considerable  traffic  and 
the  natives  are  making  rapid  strides  in  civilization.  For 
several  years  past  they  have  been  visited  by  so  many  En- 
glish and  American  ships  that  they  are  gradually  adopting 
our  manners  and  relinquishing  their  own.  The  bow  and 
the  spear  are  no  longer  to  be  seen  ;  the  harsh  war-sound 
of  the  Triton's  horn  has  ceased  to  be  heard,  as  have  also 
the  screams  of  the  victim  destined  to  the  slaughter.  Idola- 
try is  at  an  end  .  the  bells  of  the  churches  alone  break  the 
silence  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  mild  beams  of  Christianity 
have  ahead)  begun  to  operate  in  these  children  of  nature. 
Several  missionaries  from  the  United  States  reside  among 
them  :  they  have  founded  a  school  where  many  of  the 
youth  receive  instruction  in  reading,  writing,  drawing,  &x., 
which  together  with  the  religious  exhortations  at  church, 
contributes  daily  to  exalt  and  refine  the  moral  character 
of  these  people.'' 

The  natives  possessed  at  that  time  ten  ships  built  and 
equipped  in  the  European  fashion,  none  of  which  is  under 
1  20  tons  burden,  besides  a  great  number  of  schooners 
and  sloops,  employed  in  the  conveyance  of  sandal-wood 
and  provisions  from  one  island  to  another.  Most  of  these 
were  manned  by  natives,  who  make  excellent  sailors. 
While  Captain  Gardner  was  at  VVoahoo,  one  f  their  ves- 
sels, manned  entirely  by  natives,  but  commanded  by  a 
white,  returned  from  a  voyage  to  Kamtsehatka.  In  ex- 
change for  a  cargo  of  salt  wisich  she  had  carried  thither, 
this  ship  brought  hack  smoked jsalmon,  cables,  linen,  hard- 
ware, and  other  articles,  and  likewise  a  written  grant  from 
the  Russian  governor  of  a  large  tract  of  land  to  the  king 
of  the  Sandwich  islands. 

The  visit  of  Riho-riho  and  his  queen  to  England,  in 
1323,  was  expected  to  give  in  its  effects  a  powerful  im- 
pulse to  the  cause  of  religion  and  civilization  in  these 
islands  ;  for  which  reason  the  decease  of  both  in  London 
was  to  be  the  more  lamented.  Their  remains  were  convey- 
ed to  their  own  country  in  his  Majesty's  frigate  I ,a  Blonde, 
commanded  by  Lord  Byron  ;  and  on  the  day  of  their 
arrival  at  Woahoo,  the  survivors  of  their  suite,  together 
with  the  chiefs  and  a  large  concourse  of  people,  attended 
divine  service.     When  it  was  over,  Boki,  brother  of  Ka« 


£56  SURVEY    OF   CHRISTIANITY. 

raimokoo,  who  had  accompanied  the  king  to  Europe  as  a 
sort  of  chamberlain,  called  the  attention  of  the  assembly 
to  a  recommendation  which,  he  said,  had  been  addressed 
to  him  by  the  King  of  England,  "  to  return  to  his  country 
to  cultivate  general  and  religious  instruction  himself,  and 
to  endeavour  to  enlighten  and  reform  the  people."  This 
communication  made  a  deep  impression  on  all  present, 
and  a  new  impulse  was  given  to  measures  in  progress  for 
the  civilization  of  these  islanders,  which  has  led  to  the 
most  favourable  results. 

According  to  the  latest  accounts,  the  mission  here 
continues  to  prosper.  In  April  1826,  at  an  examination 
of  the  schools  held  at  Honoruru,  which  is  now  increased 
to  a  large  town,  such  evidences  of  improvement  were  ex- 
hibited as  excited  great  surprise  in  the  foreign  visitants. 
On  this  occasion,  the  children  were  assembled  from  a 
distance  of*  fourteen  miles  round  ;  the  number  of  schools 
was  sixty-nine,  of  native  teachers  sixty-six,  and  of  scholars 
upward  of  two  thousand  four  hundred.  At  the  same  date 
twenty  thousand  persons  were  under  some  kind  of  in- 
struction in  the  different  islands  ;  about  half  this  number 
can  read  well  and  eight  hundred  or  one  thousand  write  a 
legible  hand. 

The  young  king  now  (1828)  fifteen  years  of  a<je,  and 
his  sister  a  year  younger,  are  decided  promoters  of  Chris- 
tianity. The  chiefs,  following  their  example,  manifest 
<rreat  zeal  in  the  erection  of  places  of  worship,  six  of 
which  are  building  in  the  island  of  Maui  only.  Schools 
also  are  rapidly  increasing  in  all  quarters.  A  translation 
of  the  Gospel  of  St.  Matthew  is  finished,  and  Karaimo- 
koo,  who  acted  as  regent  after  the  death  of  lUho-riho, 
till  his  own  decease  in  J  827,  applied  to  the  chiefs  of  the 
Society  Islands  for  Otaheitean  books  and  a  few  good 
teachers. 

A  prinling-press  is  still  wanting  in  these  islands,  to 
second  the  labours  of  the  American  missionaries,  who 
are  assisted  by  three  Otaheitean  teachers.  The  moral 
effects  of  their  exertions  are  abundantly  evident,  and 
though  they  have  had  to  contend  with  difficulties,  they 
eel  assured  that  a  good  work  has  been  commenced, 
which  they  confidently  expect  to  extend  itself  till  the 
whole  of  these  lands  shall  be  blessed. 


FlTCAIRs's   ISLAISD.  267 

I  cannot  conclude  this  survey  of  the  present  state  ol 
Christianity  in  the  South  Seas,  without  adverting  to  the 
recent  discovery  on  one  of  its  islets  of  a  little  community, 
which  has  not  needed  any  missionary  for  its  conversion. 
I  allude  to  the  half-British  family,  found  on  Pitcairn's 
Island,  situated  south-west  of  the  Marquesas,  in  latitude 
25°  south  and  13°  west  longitude  from  Greenwich,  and 
no  more  than  six  miles  long  and  three  broad.  De- 
scendants from  some  of  the  mutineers  who,  in  1789. 
possessed  themselves  of  the  British  armed  ship,  Bounty, 
and  of  Otaheitean  women,  their  existence  remained  abso- 
lutely unknown  till,  in  1808,  an  American  ship  chanced 
to  touch  at  the  island  ;  but  it  was  twelve  years  later  before 
any  circumstantial  account  of  them  was  obtained.  The 
narrative  of  the  visit  paid  to  the  island  by  Captains  Sir 
Thomas  Staines  and  Pipon,  in  the  Briton  and  Tagus 
frigates,  and  the  delightful  picture  of  the  state  of  its  truly 
religious  and  innocent  inhabitants,  consisting  at  that  time 
of  about  forty-six  persons,  besides  infants,  must  be  too 
fresh  in  the  recollection  of  every  reader  to  need  repetition 
here. 

The  following  reflections,  though  they  have  already  ap- 
peared elsewhere,*  will  not  i  trust  be  deemed  an  inappro- 
priate termination  to  this  chapter  :-- 

There  is  not  perhaps  any  portion  of  the  globe  that 
presents  at  this  moment  a  spectacle  so  full  of  interest  to 
the  contemplative  mind  as  the  islands  scattered  over  the 
vast  ocean  interposed  between  the  Asiatic  and  American 
continents.  Half  a  century  ago  many  of  these  islands 
were  scarcely  known  even  by  name  to  the  civilized  world  , 
and  most  of  them,  though  indeed  casually  seen  by  earlier 
mariners,  had  never  been  explored  by  Europeans,  till  the 
peaceful  expeditions  equipped  by  the  British  government 
in  the  early  part  of  the  reign  of  the  late  king,  and  the 
indefatigable  researches  of  our  great  navigator,  Captain 
Cook,  exhibited  their  inhabitants  in  all  the  freshness  of  a 
new  discovery,  and  opened  to  the  philosopher  a  fertile 
theme  of  inquiry  and  speculation. 


*  See  the  division   of  The  world  in  Miniature  relating  to  th* 
South  Sea  Inland*.— -Preface, 


!58  SURVEY  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

In  all  these  tribes,  how  distant  soever  from  each  other, 
much  the  same  habits  and  manners  and  a  nearly  equal 
degree  of  barbarism  were  found  to  prevail.  With  the 
benevolent  design  of  improving  their  condition,  the  officers 
of  our  ships  industriously  introduced  among  them  the 
most  serviceable  of  our  domestic  animals,  to  which  they 
were  utter  strangers,  and  such  generally  useful  vegetable 
productions  as  were  best  adapted  to  the  soil  and  climate 
of  their  respective  islands.  The  intercourse  with  Euro- 
peans, which  from  this  time  became  more  frequent,  served 
to  make  these  Savages  acquainted  with  the  superiority  of 
their  visiters  in  all  those  arts  that  tend  to  the  preservation 
and  embellishment  of  Hie.  An  eager  desire  to  possess 
themselves  of  our  mechanical  instruments  and  a  spirit  of 
imitation  were  the  natural  consequences  of  this  im- 
pression. The  change  thus  gradually  operating  among 
them  was  accelerated  by  the  establishment  i.isome  of  the 
islands  of  missionaries,  whose  religious  labours,  however, 
seemed  for  a  long  series  of  years  to  be  totally  fruitless. 
Their  perseverance  has,  nevertheless,  been  crowned  with 
a  result  surpassing  the  most  sanguine  expectations  ;  and  a 
revolution,  which,  we  trust,  will  extend  over  the  whole  of 
the  Great  Ocean,  is  now  in  rapid  progress  among  some  of 
its  tribes  Among  Savages  who,  a  short  time  since,  were 
but  a  few  degrees  re.noved  from  the  state  of  nature, 
printing-presses  have  been  established — written  laws  pro- 
mulgated— the  trial  by  jury  adopted — the  rudiments  of 
navies  formed — regular  roads  marie — piers  constructed — 
churches  built — Societies  for  the  dissemination  of  the 
Scriptures  and  the  encouragement  of  the  arts  instituted — 
and  the  atrocious  cruelties  of  the  ancient  superstition  have 
yielded  to  the  beneficent  influence  of  the  Gospel  of 
Christ! 

Sincerely  as  we  should  rejoice  in  such  a  change,  by 
whomsoever  effected,  we  must  confess  that  it  heightens  our 
gratification  to  find  such  wonders  accomplished  through 
the  instrumentality  of  Englishmen,  and  much  of  a  British 
spirit  and  British  feelings  diffused  along  with  these  im- 
provements. The  extension  of  that  spirit  and  those 
feelings  to  the  remotest  corners  of  the  globe  we  hail  with 
cordial  exultation,  not  merely  because  England  is  the  land 


CONCLUSION.  259 

of  our  birth ;  but  because  we  are  convinced  that  institu- 
tions arising  out  of  them  are  better  calculated  to  promote 
the  liberty,  prosperity,  and  happiness,  of  mankind,  than 
those  of  any  other  nation  under  the  face  of  heaven. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CONCLUSION. 

We  have  glanced  rapidly  at  the  different  regions  of  the 
globe  and  their  numerous  nations,  that  we  might  take  a 
general  survey  of  the  present  diffusion  of  the  Christian  faith 
among  them.  To  the  Christian  philosopher  this  picture, 
historically  interesting,  is  alike  a  subject  of  depression  and 
exultation  ;  an  excitement  of  greater  expectations,  more 
profound  convictions,  more  philanthropic    wishes. 

The  knowledge  of  and  belief  in  divine  things  are  the 
sacred  property  of  every  mortal.  The  wisest  of  men 
possesses  them  ;  the  stupid  Savage  holds  them  fast,  and 
elevates  himself  by  means  of  them.  This  is  the  everlast- 
ing self-revelation  of  God  in  his  children — this  the  irre- 
fragable evidence  that  we  are  of  his  race,  spirits  sprung 
from  the  holy,  the  infinite,  the  primitive  spirit  of  the 
universe — this  the  divine  inspiration,  that  we  know  our 
immortality  ! 

Of  all  who  ever  lived  upon  earth — of  the  philosophers 
of  India,  Egypt,  Greece,  Rome,  Arabia — none  ever  had 
so  clear  a  view  of  the  profundity  of  the  evidence  of  God, 
none  so  fully  expounded  the  relation  and  connexion  of  the 
spiritual  world  with  the  Supreme  Being,  as  Jesus  of 
Nazareth.  In  him  dwelt  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  ;  and 
his  revelations  flash  like  rays  of  light  through  the  darkness 
of  the  realm  of  spirits.  He  had  a  right  to  say  :  "  The 
world  shall  pass  away,  but  my  word  shall  not  pass  away." 

The  various  churches  which  at  present  exist,  whatever 
they  may  be,  as  they  gradually  sprang  up,  so  they  shall 
gradually  grow  old :  the  light  from  God  is  immutable. 


>60 


SURVEY  OF   CHRISTIANITY. 


Churches  are  the  offspring  of  the  times  and  like  them 
change  their  forms  ;  but  religion — the  relation  of  spirits 
to  God — is,  like  the  law  which  produces  the  appearances 
of  Nature,  unaffected  by  the  change  of  time  and  its  phe- 
nomena. 

Meanwhile,  let  the  missionary,  whether  Catholic  or 
Protestant,  whether  Jesuit,  Quaker,  Methodist,  or  Mora- 
vian, preach  what  he  will  to  the  heathen,  something  divine 
is  always  enclosed  in  the  external  husk  of  his  doctrines. 
This  will  remain,  this  will  continue  to  operate  and  to  en- 
lighten, while  the  husk  is  decaying  and  mouldering 
into  dust. 

We  spirits  are  not  citizens  of  the  earth  but  of  the  city 
of  God,  called  the  universe,  and  our  life  fills  not  merely  a 
moment  but  eternity.  In  this  exalted  position,  what  can 
we  do  more  worthy  of  our  destination  than,  like  Christ 
and  by  his  word,  to  release  spirits  from  the  shackles  of 
error,  and  to  bring  them  nearer  unto  God?  As  every  man 
rejoices  that  he  is  not  a  brute,  that  lie  has  not  remained 
an  infant ;  as  parents  rejoice  to  advance  their  children  in 
knowledge  :  so  it  ought  to  be  the  delight  of  all  adult  spirits 
to  assist  the  progress  of  their  junior  fellows. 

Religious  darkness  still  rests  on  a  great  part  of  the  po- 
pulation of  Europe  itself;  a  Christian  paganism  still  stu- 
pefies the  great  majority  of  the  lower  classes  of  the  peo- 
ple. 'Think  of  the  barbarism  of  Asia,  the  savage  state  of 
the  Africans,  the  forlorn  condition  of  the  interior  of  Amer- 
ica, the  altars  of  Australasia  stained  with  human  blood  ' 
There  is  no  want  of  scope  for  the  champions  of  the  word 
of  God  ;  and  if  the  sketch  here  presented  shall  have  the 
effect  of  impressing  the  mind  of  any  philanthropic  individ- 
ual with  the  importance  of  befriending  the  efforts  of  those 
heralds  of  Christianity  and  civilization,  1  shall  bless  the 
hours  devoted  to  the  composition  of  the  preceding  pages 


THE    END. 


DATE  DUE 

QBp  a. 

tPN|p 

GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 

f 


I 


